II: Leaving the Past
by Jayme F. Midorikawa
Summary: The second installment to my Zootopia series, taking place two months after the end of Road to Recovery. A long-awaited visit to Bunnyburrow to introduce Nick to Judy's parents forces the sly fox to revisit one of the most painful memories of his past. Well, Judy's never been one to let the mammals she loves suffer. What follows is their journey deeper into Nick's past.
1. Visiting the Family

**Well everyone, just as I promised, here is the first chapter of the second sequential story in my Zootopia series, entitled 'II: Leaving the Past.' I'm no longer working within the timeline boundaries of the movie, so it does feel good to have that little extra bit of freedom. I know some of you were probably expecting something exciting like putting Judy and Nick on their first real case together as official partners, and that will come, just not here. I still feel there's a little more personal background we can delve into here, and this concept to me just felt too good to put on the wayside.**

 **And yes, you've no doubt read the brief synopsis for this story, so some people may be thinking "A visit to Judy's family so Nick can be introduced. Haven't seen THAT on this page before" in the most sarcastic way they can convey through a keyboard. And yes, I fully admit it's not an original starting concept, but it felt like the most natural place to start given the direction I have planned for this specific story. And I apologize if the previous assumption made me sound kinda like a jerk there. I wouldn't say these things if I didn't witness it myself with other stories in the past.**

 **But anyway, enough of my pointless rambling. You all came because of your love for the previous story, and I can only hope this will touch your hearts and entertain you just as much. So please, feel free to review and let me know what you all think. Your opinions mean the world to me.**

 **Zootopia and its characters do NOT belong to me, they belong to Disney.**

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Carrots? I mean, if not, we can always just stay on the train and wait for it to head back to Zootopia. If you were to tell them so, I'm sure they'd understand," Nick asked with a clear air of legitimate nervousness in his voice as Judy barely shook her head with a clearly amused smile as she stared out the window at the beautiful rolling green hills of the countryside.

"Not a chance, Nick. They've been waiting way too long to meet you, and if I'm not able to this time, when will I ever?" Judy explained as Nick let out a shaky sigh as he too took to looking at the undeniably gorgeous scenery speeding right past them.

"Hang on, I thought you said we were going down to celebrate your mothers' birthday," Nick suddenly asked once he finally realized something wasn't adding up to his friends' little story as she smiled in slight embarrassment; not that she'd made any attempt to hide the truth to begin with.

"Well we are, but I figured this would be the best chance to introduce you to everybody as well," she admitted as Nick just looked at her like she was a naughty little kit who'd got caught with her paw in the cookie jar.

"I'm surprised at you, Carrots. To think you'd lie to your own partner," the fox said with mock indignation while Judy couldn't help but giggle, like she always did whenever he got so melodramatic.

"Don't blame me. I didn't even try to hide it. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner, dumb fox," she teased as Nick gave her a satisfied but clearly defeated grin as he slightly ruffled her little fuzzy head with his paw as he sat back.

"I guess you're finally starting to rub off on me, dumb bunny. Or who knows, maybe I just wanted to humor you the whole time," he shot right back as Judy smiled victoriously before settling back comfortably into her seat as well while trying to fix up the fur on top of her head.

"But in all seriousness though, do you really think they're gonna be…well, y'know, okay with having me around? I mean, the city's one thing, but these country bunnies?" Nick asked with an air of uncertainty as Judy couldn't deny that seeing him look so shy about meeting her family was undeniably…cute, in his own Nick Wilde-ish way. It was so different, in the best way possible, from the few times she'd seen her partner legitimately terrified. He looked less like a frightened animal backed into a corner and more like an awkward teenager in high school meeting his very first date's folks.

Of course, thinking along that line, Judy couldn't help but feel her cheeks and her ears slightly warm up. She couldn't deny that this was…KIND OF the same thing, only instead of a couple; it was simply introducing her parents to her best friend in the world. Of course, her dad always was overly protective when it came to his children, so how he was bound to react, she ultimately couldn't hope to guess. She would just have to hope her mom could still manage to be the voice of reason. If not, this was going to be a VERY long weekend.

"It's not like they're going to be chasing you with torches and pitchforks, Nick. My parents are perfectly reasonable, and if anything, my siblings are probably going to look at you like you're a superhero; especially if mom and dad told them about us working together. Besides, if it'll make you feel any better, I…actually told my mom about us living together back while you were still training at the academy. She was very understanding and even more supportive. If nothing else, I know she's been dying to finally meet you," Judy reassured him as the fox seemed to visibly calm down before putting on that same sly, disarming smile on his snout.

"I guess that's no surprise. I'm just naturally irresistible to you lady bunnies, huh?" he asked in a tone so exaggeratedly seductive it nearly made her want to pretend gag just to mess with him.

"Yeah, keep dreaming, Mr. Fox. You're fantastic, but not THAT fantastic," Judy pretended to shoot him down while he gave her an amusingly broken-hearted look of shock before laughing it off and settling back comfortably into his chair. They always did have such a unique kinetic energy to know exactly how to talk to each other at times like this. It was just one of the many things that had proven to make them such great partners over the two months since Nick had graduated from the ZPA.

"Yeah, say whatever you want, Fluff. You know you love me," Nick teased her once more. And just like all the other times, poor Judy felt her whole face turn red hot, though as always she knew how to hide it.

While she may have been able to keep her cool the first time he'd pulled this on her on their first official day of work together, it always did bring back a flare of the more personal feelings she'd started feeling towards Nick nine months ago while she'd been healing up in his apartment. She'd managed to really help those emotions die down the more she realized it had to be from her lack of interaction with males during her adolescent years and that it was simply overacting due to her realization of just what a wonderful friend and part of her life Nick had proven to be.

But darn him, every single time he pulled this, she'd always feel that pesky fluster returning for just a few seconds that would always make her heart briefly race before she'd be able to cool it back down.

"Do I know that? Yes. Yes I do," she expectedly shot back as Nick's smile simply grew in satisfaction. Yes, it had become her go-to answer, and it never seemed to disappoint either of them. Because in a way, for Judy it was very true.

In what felt like no time at all, Nick had quickly come to be one of if not THE most precious friend she had; someone she wouldn't trade for anyone or anything in the world. The very thought of having to look at a life without him around was nothing short of heartbreaking for her; and she'd even come to realize she couldn't be more open with anyone else like she was with him. He just naturally made her feel so at ease, and they seemed to have such a natural understanding of one another. So few mammals nowadays could claim to be so compatible with each other like she and Nick were.

So yes, in a way, she did know that she loved this witty, wonderful fox sitting next to her right now. Who WOULDN'T somehow love their best friend in the whole world?

 **An hour later…**

Nick's foot was noticeably tapping anxiously on the floor as the train slowly came to a stop right before the automated voice announced the arrival at Bunnyburrow station. All the while Judy looked to be equally anxious, albeit on the complete opposite of the emotional spectrum. She hadn't seen her folks since their surprise run-in at that Gazelle concert two months ago. How Nick had somehow managed to avoid meeting them in that moment, she couldn't even figure out. But he wasn't getting away this time.

Once the doors slid open, she immediately grabbed Nick's paw and proceeded to guide him out after her, lest he try to just stay on the train and hope she not notice. Upon stepping out onto the platform, she looked all around for any sign of her parents past the throngs of other bunnies and mammals either departing or climbing on board. Once the crowds actually began to disperse, she was surprised to see she couldn't spot either of her parents.

They knew she was coming, and they definitely knew Nick was going to be with her this time, so there was no reason they shouldn't have been here. Even Nick noticed the clearly worried look on his partner's face as she instinctively went for her phone to try and reach them lest they'd somehow gotten sidetracked or had actually messaged her about their absence and she simply hadn't noticed.

"Hey, Judy Hopps! I was wonderin' when I'd find you," a distant male voice with a thick country drawl suddenly called out from the other side; immediately catching her and Nick's attention as they looked to see a single red fox in blue overalls and a noticeably wide girth rushing towards them with a big old grin on his face.

At first Nick was about to step forward in front of Judy, having no idea what to expect from their sudden visitor, only for Judy to suddenly spring forward into a sprint and suddenly meet this big lummox of a fox in an enthusiastic hug he quickly returned; all while Nick could only stare in dumbfounded shock.

"Gideon Grey, what are YOU doing here?" Judy asked once she and this hearty-looking fox who stood nearly a full head taller than Nick separated.

"Actually, your folks asked me if I'd meet y'all at the station and give ya a ride home. They're all real busy puttin' everything together, else they'd be here instead for you" Gideon explained before offering to take Judy's suitcase; all while she looked a tiny bit guilty she couldn't have been there to help earlier.

"*ahem* Hi, Carrots? Would you maybe feel like introducing us anytime soon?" Nick suddenly asked with a loud clearing of the throat, quickly catching her and Gideon's attention; his green eyes focused solely on this hulking red hayseed that was chatting up his partner like they were good ol' buddies.

"Oh, of course, sorry! Nick, this is Gideon Grey. Gideon, this is Nick Wilde, my partner," Judy immediately apologized before eagerly introducing the two foxes to each other; Gideon looking as happy as could be while Nick still looked to be sizing him up.

"Well, pleasure to finally meet ya, Nick. Judy here's told me a whole lot about you," Gideon greeted Nick enthusiastically before taking his paw in a tight pawshake; nearly taking poor Nick off the ground with how strong he was.

"Really? Well, I wish I could, er, say the same about you," Nick greeted in as friendly a tone as he could manage once Gideon finally let him go.

"Yeah, sorry, Gid. I would've told him about you a lot sooner, but we've been constantly busy with work since he joined up," Judy apologized while Gideon didn't look perturbed one bit as he took Nick's suitcase into his free paw before motioning the two to follow him.

"Aw, it ain't nothin' to be sorry for, Judy. I kinda figured big city life is all hustlin'and bustlin'; it keeps y'all movin' all the time. Right now I'm just glad to finally meet another fox out here that ain't me n' my mama," Gideon brushed her worries off with a jovial chuckle as Nick looked at Judy in a way as if to silently ask _'Is this guy for real?'_ to which she could only give him a greatly amused grin and a playful shrug of the shoulders.

Once they left the platform, Judy immediately spotted the single pink delivery van sitting out front with 'Grey Family Bakery' stenciled on the side as Gideon carefully set her and Nick's luggage in the back.

"I'm awful sorry, but I got a lot of stuff all stored up front for the party thanks to all the young'uns. I'm afraid the back's the only part that'll have enough room for the two of ya," Gideon apologized as Judy gave him an appreciative pat on his shoulder before climbing into the back of the van with Nick quickly following behind her. Needless to say, he was more than pleasantly surprised to see probably more pies and other baked goods than he'd ever seen before in one place waiting for him. The aroma alone nearly knocked him off his feet.

"I'll try to drive real careful, and I'll let y'all know when we're there," Gideon called back to them through a slot in the wall leading to the driver's seat once Judy pulled the rear doors closed.

"Thank you so much for this, Gideon," Judy thanked him as the large fox's ears folded back bashfully as he started the engine.

"Aw, nothin' to it, Judy. It's the least I can do," he replied as politely as possible before pulling the slider closed; and before long Judy and Nick could both feel the momentum shift as the van began to drive off for the Hopps Family Farm.

Once the two settled into the ride, Judy let out a blissful, perhaps even nostalgic sigh. Of course, this was nothing like the hay wagon rides from when she was a kid, but the sentiment and similarity wasn't lost on her. Nick on the other hand was practically staring at her with an unreadable smirk that left her feeling the tiniest bit nervous.

"What?" she finally asked once the silence and rumbling of the van engine became too much and Nick's gaze never averted before giving her a similar shrug of his shoulders like she'd done to him.

"I must say, I'm surprised at you, Carrots. I didn't think you kept so many secrets," he stated with mock ignorance.

"Nick, what are you talking about?" she asked once her ears picked up the slight trace of hurt hidden in the way he spoke.

"Were you ever planning on telling me about him?" Nick finally asked; his smirk never betraying his real purpose for asking.

"Him? Who, you mean Gideon? Well of course I was going to tell you about him while we were here. I just didn't think he'd actually be here to meet us. I thought it would make you feel a little more comfortable knowing you wouldn't be the only fox around for the weekend," Judy explained as Nick simply rolled his eyes; making the little bunny frown at how immature he was acting.

"Why are you making such a big deal about this, Nick? I thought it would help put you at ease," Judy asked in no mood for his typical sarcasm while Nick finally let his grin slightly falter.

"I know and appreciate that, Carrots, really. I just…well, I'd just been convinced for a while that I was the only fox friend you had," Nick admitted with some clear hesitation as Judy's eyes widened to finally see where this was coming from.

"Nick…are…are you JEALOUS? Of Gideon?" she asked, trying hard not to let out a laugh of amusement to see even the oh-so collected Nick Wilde could actually be jealous.

"Can you really think of any small mammal that wouldn't be jealous of a taller stronger one of their species? Seriously, guy's got a paw grip like he's an undersized bear," Nick attempted to deflect while also giving her an honest answer. By this point, poor Judy had to put her paws over her muzzle to keep from cracking up at her partner's expense.

"Nick, you don't have to be jealous. I've known Gideon since we were little kids, it's only natural we'd be this close by now," Judy tried to reassure him, only to realize what a poor choice of words that was as Nick just looked at her with a blank expression on his face.

"Y'know, Carrots, I hope that was some kind of new psychology theory you overheard on the TV or something, cause that's not typically what I'd call reassuring," Nick said, clearly unamused while still trying not to accidentally sound too angry or disappointed.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm just trying to say you don't have to worry about Gideon. You're still and always will be my favorite fox in the whole world," Judy finally stated as she instinctively cuddled into his side; and as much as he wanted to stay straight-faced, he couldn't deny this was her most effective way of always putting any of their tension at ease.

"Besides, if it'll help clear any of your stubborn little doubts, well…me and Gideon weren't always friends per se," Judy continued reluctantly as Nick's ears instantly perked up with morbid curiosity.

"See, he was a pretty big reason why I was so scared of foxes for such a long time. Back when we were kids, he was like the town bully, always picking on me, my siblings and all the other prey kids in town. And…well, one day when I was 9 and the local fair was going on, I tried to stop him from stealing some of my friends' tickets and…well, he was way bigger than me even back then, and…well, he clawed my face to try and scare me."

When Judy looked up at Nick the instant those words left her mouth, she instantly saw how much Nick instinctively wanted to wring Gideon's neck through that slot in the wall; and that kind of silent anger was something she never wanted to see from her partner.

"Nick, it was 16 years ago. We were just kids, and he was going through a lot of personal problems of his own. Since then, he's proven to be a much better mammal than I thought was possible for him. If anything, just like you, he helped me realize just how much we all can change for the better, even when we don't think we can," Judy once more tried to explain as Nick thankfully looked to calm down as he let out a heavy sigh in an attempt to calm himself.

"I get it, Carrots. I understand. I mean, if you were able to believe in me as much as you did, how bad could this lummox possibly be now?" Nick asked sarcastically while Judy smiled in satisfaction at his mood upswing.

"Thank you, Nick. And besides, knowing what I just told you about him, if my parents could end up liking him enough to make him their business partner and a friend of the family, how could they possibly dislike you?" she asked confidently as Nick let out a quiet little chuckle.

"Don't jinx it, Cottontail. We've got a whole weekend here ahead of us still," Nick reminded her as the two fell into a more comfortable silence.

It wasn't too long after that when they felt the momentum of the van suddenly shift before coming to a stop.

"Alright, y'all, we're here," Gideon announced through the wall slot as Judy took a deep breath to quell her excitement while Nick was taking some deep breaths of his own, though his fur nearly looked like it was about to stand on end from how nervous he looked right now.

"It'll be okay, Nick. I'll be with you the whole time, promise," Judy whispered softly as she took Nick's paw into her own; once again like magic calming him down completely as they finally took the step forward and threw open the rear doors.

Nick was nearly blinded by the brilliant afternoon sunlight. Without all of Zootopia's skyscrapers to help block it out; the countryside seemed to burn brighter than even he thought was possible. But thankfully he was soon able to bear with it as Judy helpfully guided him down the single dirt road leading up to what had to be the single biggest farmhouse the fox had ever seen.

As far as he could see, both sides of the road were surrounded by vast stretches of all kinds of vegetable and fruit crops that extended to the tree lines of the surroundings woods; and the huge farmhouse was settled on top of a little hill that stood dead center of it all. As accustomed as he'd been to the nearly limitless number of bizarre sights and wonders of the city; Nick couldn't help but actually be legitimately impressed.

"Wow, and to think I was impressed you actually grew more than just carrots," he muttered absentmindedly as Judy giggled at his wonder.

"This isn't really much. A lot of the families around here have farms this big. I guess it just comes with having multiple generations build it up," she explained as the serene sounds of the countryside and the warmth of the dirt beneath her feet had her feeling even more nostalgic as with each step she kept expecting her whole family to come rushing out the door to her.

"And I guess your brothers and sisters are probably gonna keep that going while we're off chasing pickpockets and jaywalkers, huh? Speaking of which, since Gideon said they were getting everything ready, do you think we'll actually get the drop on them?" Nick asked curiously; and the instant the words left his snout; they were interrupted by the creak of the front door, and before his wide green eyes, almost in slow motion, a virtual tidal wave of tiny fuzzballs of differing shades of grey, white, brown and maple came rushing out the door to them with a collective call of "JUDY!"

Before he could even let out a frightened little squeak, he nearly felt himself and Judy being bowled over onto the ground beneath this laughing mass of fuzz. It was like Nick's most ridiculous fears of meeting Judy's family come to life; nearly finding it hard to breathe while also feeling like he was being both crushed and tickled to death underneath these 275 tinier bunnies, all while the air was abuzz with theirs and Judy's laughter.

"Okay, kids, that's enough now, give your sister some space," the voice of Stu Hopps suddenly called from the house, and with a bunch of disappointed groans, the countless little bunnies reluctantly got off of Judy and Nick; their sister nearly springing to her feet from their colossal welcome like it was second nature, while Nick still remained flat on his back; his eyes wide and staring off into space like he had PTSD.

"Does that answer your question? Come on, you big softie," Judy teased as she helped Nick back onto his feet before turning to see her parents both happily coming down the road toward them, only for her to rush into a sprint to meet them both with her own embrace they readily met.

"Oh, I missed you guys so much," Judy greeted them as her parents held onto her like they hadn't seen her in years; while Nick respectfully remained behind. It was her idea to bring him here, so he was willing to let her know when to finally get the introductions done.

"Happy birthday, Mom. I'm sorry we couldn't have gotten here sooner, or else I would've helped you guys put everything together," Judy apologized after pecking Bonnie on the cheek as her mother softly laughed it off.

"Oh, it's not the end of the world if you miss one day of work, Judy. I'm just glad you were able to make it. At first I wasn't sure if work would make you too busy to come down," Bonnie said as Judy began to excitedly lead her and Stu by the paws down the road to the rest of the kids.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world, let alone work. Chief Bogo was even nice enough to give us the whole weekend off," Judy stated firmly; with both her parents ears noticeably perking once she mentioned she wasn't alone.

"Oh my goodness, Judy, does that mean you actually brought—" Bonnie began to ask, only for her to go silent with a paw over her mouth the instant she spotted the unfamiliar fox standing perfectly still among the throngs of tiny bunnies surrounding his legs; all of them looking up at him with sheer wonder while he tried to ignore the literal thousands of eyes staring at him.

"Mom, Dad, this is my partner, Nick Wilde. Nick, these are my parents, Stuart and Bonnie Hopps," Judy wasted no time introducing the three; silence their only response for a few incredibly awkward seconds as Nick looked very uncomfortably towards his partner.

However, Bonnie then stepped forward, never taking her eyes off the fox as he swallowed a dry lump in his throat, having no idea what to expect.

"So…YOU'RE the fox that helped our daughter with her very first case; the one who took care of her all this time?" Bonnie asked as Stu quickly joined her side while Nick tugged at the collar of his shirt in an attempt to calm his nerves.

"Um, yeah? I-I mean, yes, ma'am, that's me," Nick stuttered nervously; only for her to suddenly pull him into a surprisingly strong hug; and when he looked at Judy for some kind of confirmation, she looked just as amazed as he did.

"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you after all this time, Mr. Wilde. Judy has told me so much about you," Bonnie greeted him finally with a bright smile as Nick could only grin in semi-embarrassment. Was there anybody out in this neck of the woods she DIDN'T tell all about him and chose not to tell HIM about?

"Not me. What, you mean you knew about them being partners all this time and just didn't tell me?" Stu suddenly asked in surprise to his wife while Nick couldn't help but let out a mental sigh of relief. Apparently yes, there was one.

"Actually, Dad, we've only been official partners for two months now. That was when he graduated from the academy," Judy attempted to explain, also looking at her mother with slight accusation while Bonnie didn't even pretend to look embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, honey, but you said to tell you when I felt he was ready before asking permission, and…well…" Bonnie explained while Stu could only look to both his wife and daughter with disbelief that they kept him out of the loop for God-only-knew how long.

"Bonnie, why would you keep Judy and this fox working together a secret from me? How long did you know about this?" Stu asked while Bonnie could only sigh that he was already getting so worked up.

"I'm sorry, Stu, okay? I didn't tell you because…well, you haven't exactly had the best track record of reacting reasonably to news like this. I admit, I was nervous too when the truth eventually got out, but Judy assured me about everything, and the more I kept thinking about when would be the right time…well, I guess you could say it got away from me," Bonnie said as Stu looked considerably embarrassed. As much as he felt justified to be upset his own wife was keeping a secret from him, she wasn't wrong that he had the bigger tendency to let his emotions get the better of him. And he would've been lying if he said he didn't feel a twinge of that natural fear well up in him the instant Judy introduced this fox as her work partner.

"Okay, I'll admit I have been one to overreact more than once before, but I wish you could at least have trusted me to take the news as well as could be expected. You know we've never kept secrets from each other before," Stu said regrettably while Bonnie and Judy both looked considerably guilty at this point, to which Nick couldn't help but feel partially responsible as well.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hopps, sir?" Nick spoke up; catching the Hopps patriarch's attention as the fox nervously straightened his neck tie while trying to gather his words.

"I understand why you'd be nervous. Honestly, I doubt I'd be any different if I was a bunny and my kid was hanging around a fox. But I just want you to know something first: I owe a lot of positive changes I've made over the last year of my life to your daughter. She was the very first mammal to ever treat me and make me feel like I was more than what everyone else told me I was: a shifty, untrustworthy good-for-nothing fox. For that alone, I owe her more than I can ever hope to repay; but even beyond that, she's the best friend I could've ever asked for, and I would do anything to protect her both on and off the job. So I just want you to know before anything else is said, that I would NEVER do anything to hurt her," Nick proceeded to explain with such conviction and devotion; everyone was at a loss for words; even down to the youngest kids who probably wouldn't have understood half of what he was saying.

Nevertheless, his words really seemed to strike a chord with Judy's parents; Stu especially as he could only bow his head deep in thought. Nick certainly hoped he didn't accidentally make his partner's father feel shame for unknowingly jumping to conclusions.

"Well, I'm sorry if I made you feel…uncomfortable or unwelcome, among other things. You seem like a nice enough fella, and I know Judy's a good judge of character. Heck, she'd have to be, right? We've just always been a very close family, and to think they've been keeping you and her working together a secret from me for so long…well, I'm just not sure how to feel about that," Stu admitted while Nick nodded in understanding. His little reaction to suddenly meeting Gideon with no notice from his bunny certainly attested to that.

"Well, nobody's perfect, believe me. I mean, sure, some secrets are more important to keep than others; there's no getting around that. But I really do mean what I said about her. We're partners, and I would do anything to protect her; and…well, I'm hoping I can make a good first impression with more than just one bunny. At least that way I'll know it wasn't just a fluke," Nick reassured before cracking into that sarcastic grin again; forcing Judy to stifle a giggle before Bonnie suddenly approached him with an understanding motherly smile.

"Judy really was right about you, Mr. Wilde. I believed her when she said you made her feel safe and happy; but meeting and listening to you now, how could I ever doubt that?" Bonnie spoke up as she laid an appreciative paw on his shoulder while Nick looked up in surprise to his partner that she would actually say something so heartfelt about their friendship. And the embarrassed but sincere smile on her face as she joined her mothers' side seemed to confirm it all; leaving the poor fox feeling more than a little flustered.

"Well…aw heck, Gideon was proof enough to me not all predators are bad. And if you really do care about our daughter half as much as you say you do, how bad could you honestly be? I'm sorry again, I just let my mouth go running before I think sometimes," Stu relented before that big-hearted grin returned to his face before offering his paw to Nick, which he gladly accepted with a hearty shake of his own.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Hopps. I've met more than a few mammals that did that too, but I never held it against them," Nick reassured as he shot a mischievous knowing glance at Judy as she looked down in embarrassment. How could that sly fox have managed to turn what was once the one breaking point in their friendship and turn it into an inside joke of theirs?

"Aw, don't bother with all that 'Mr. Hopps' nonsense, son. You can just call me Stu if you like," the hearty buck offered as Judy quickly rejoined her partner, smiling gratefully to her parents and the heavens above that this had managed to reconcile itself so quickly. The last thing she ever would've wanted was to cause her parents to argue, especially on her mothers' birthday.

"And you can just call me Bonnie, too. Now I'm sure you both have had a real tiring trip. Why don't you come up and make yourselves at home? I'm sure Judy would love to show you around," Bonnie offered as she and her husband led the two partners up the rest of the road to the house while the majority of the younger kids chased after them while the slightly older ones helped Gideon get his assortment of pies from the van to the house.

The next hour consisted almost entirely of Judy and Bonnie showing Nick all around the Hopps family household while Stu had to assist Gideon and the older kids. It looked immense enough on the outside for a simple-looking farmhouse, but inside somehow managed to be even bigger. If he didn't know better, he probably would've assumed that they had to cram five kids into each room at night at the very LEAST. But to his surprise, they actually managed to make it so that each child really did have their own room with actual space for themselves. It was certainly a lot more than he could've ever been able to say about his house when he was growing up. And that was even with the fact he was an only kit and it was just him and his mother.

All the while, everywhere they went, there were always at least a handful of the kids either following the three while staring at Nick, or there would always be the kids in their rooms watching from the doorframes as they passed by. Of course, Nick and Judy both felt the intense and curious stares, but they never brought it up. Honestly, who could blame a whole bunch of tiny bunnies for being curious? For all Nick knew, he was probably the ONLY fox they'd ever seen outside of any outdated story books, assuming they somehow didn't know Gideon.

Midway through the tour, of course there was some mild resistance on Judy's part when it eventually came to seeing her old bedroom, but of course there was no way Nick would ever be able to resist the chance to drag some embarrassing skeletons out of her closet. Of course, he would've been lying if he were to say he WASN'T disappointed there were no embarrassing childhood photos of his Carrots with anything like glasses or braces or whatever else came to mind that would've made her so resistant. Ultimately he just had to assume it was her female instincts in full force again. Of course, she was always adorable to look at whenever she was nervous or embarrassed or shy, so he could at least say that made the disappointment all worth it.

And the whole time, bonnie just watched the two playfully bicker with each other the whole time with a strange sense of amusement. Truth be told, seeing the two be so informal and casual in the way they spoke and acted with each other made it feel like she was seeing Judy like a little kit again, this time finally actually interacting with a real friend. Of course she knew that was just wistful daydreaming, but it still did her heart good to see her daughter acting so…natural, for lack of a better word, with another mammal; instead of always being so single-mindedly focused and serious all the time.

Finally, almost as soon as they'd finally shown nick all throughout the house, Stu had made the announcement that dinner had finally been prepared and for everyone to gather up. Almost as quickly as when he and Judy had arrived, Nick was nearly bowled over by the tidal wave of his partner's younger siblings as they all neatly packed into their seats while Stu and bonnie set themselves at the head of the table, with Judy, Nick and Gideon having special spots of their own right next to them.

The entire dining hall was a cacophony of friendly and childish chatter and joyous laughter of all sorts while Nick tried to remain as polite and well-behaved and non-sarcastic as possible. As welcoming as Bonnie and Stu had already tried to make him feel, he still couldn't help but feel sorely out of his element out here in the boonies; and that never-ending feeling of so many of the little ones staring at him without saying anything, whether out of shyness or fear, didn't help.

Thankfully, once it came time for everyone to pipe in to wish Bonnie a happy birthday and Gideon's personal contributions of nearly countless pies were brought out; one could always count on nature's little blue blessings to help loosen Nick's nerves right up.

"Wow, just when I thought your blueberries couldn't get any better! Whoever found out how to make these even tastier has to be some kind of genius," Nick exclaimed with nothing short of amazement as he dug right into his piece of blueberry pie while Judy stifled a giggle at how enthusiastic he became like the flip of a switch; and while Stu and Bonnie were momentarily speechless and Gideon couldn't help but smile proudly at the offhanded compliment.

"Honestly, Nick, are you just trying to pretend we didn't come here on a bakery van?" Judy playfully asked as she nudged Nick to at least acknowledge who he was referring to. And once he saw the proud look on Gideon's face, the city fox nearly felt his jaw drop as the seemingly obvious clues finally clicked together. Either that, or he at least realized there was no point in feigning ignorance any longer.

"Wow, YOU actually made these? Okay, I take back any doubts I had. Anyone who can make blueberry pie THIS good is a-ok in my book," Nick further complimented while Judy smiled in semi-embarrassment to her parents at how childlike he'd become.

"Well, it's always nice to get folks' first impressions of my work. Hopefully you'll be able to visit more often, there's tons more I'd be right eager for you to try," Gideon offered as Nick's ears perked up at the very thought. Blueberries or not, he could never say no to the offer of free food.

"Well, try not to get too eager, Gideon. If I know Nick, blueberries are what he's REALLY a fan of, otherwise he might need a little more convincing," Judy said jokingly as she and Nick shared a mutual laugh.

"Oh, well it looks like Gideon's not the ONLY one here with a new fan," Bonnie suddenly piped in with clear amusement in her words as Nick and Judy both looked to see just one of her little siblings standing right at Nick's side with the biggest wondrous eyes the fox could recall seeing any of them have. It was almost like the tiny bunny was looking up at a real life Santa Claws the way he was so speechless and yet clearly unafraid. Admittedly, Nick actually felt much less uncomfortable this time around because of that.

"Are you really Judy's cop buddy?" the little bunny asked as Nick couldn't help but feel a little relieved one of the kids FINALLY decided to actually talk to him; the grin on his muzzle seeming to really keep the little one at ease since he didn't back down at all.

"Well, the grown-up word is 'partner', but yeah, me and your big sis are real good buddies too," Nick answered as the kid looked to be thinking of what else to ask while Judy and her parents were both watching with silent happiness to see him actually getting along with one of the little ones.

"Do you fight a lot of bigger animals?" the kid continued on. The childlike wonder with which he asked such things was so naturally adorable; but Nick knew if there was any time NOT to call a bunny cute, it was right now.

"Well, we don't go LOOKING to fight any. Sometimes we have to, and sometimes we have to chase them, and other times nothing really happens. But yeah, we have had to fight some real big scary animals before," Nick answered while the kid looked between both the fox and Judy with absolute amazement, like they were a couple of real life superheroes.

"How do you fight the big ones? You're a lot smaller than Gideon," the kid finally asked, and if it hadn't been for the collective chatter of all the other kids, Nick probably would've heard the surprised and even shocked gasps from Judy and her parents while Gideon had to stifle a chuckle.

"Peter, don't be so rude. You should know better than to talk to Judy's partner like that," Bonnie started to scold the little 7 year-old before Nick surprisingly gave her a reassuring wave of his paw.

"Oh, it's no trouble, Bonnie. Believe me; I've learned to know when others are being rude. The little guys just curious, that's all. And if you wanna know, Peter, I'll give you a little secret," Nick offered as he reached and lifted the small bunny into his lap; which by now had caught a good number of the other kids' attention.

"You don't have to be big to go up against other big animals. Just take me and your sister for example. We can take down polar bears and lions if we just use our heads and the other gifts we were born with to our advantage. If you just think ahead, there's nobody that can beat you," Nick explained; and the way Peter's eyes lit up with inspiration was nothing short of storybook worthy.

"Wow! You and Judy can do all that? When I grow up, I wanna be a police officer too," Peter announced with excitement while Judy immediately motioned for her parents not to react. If she knew half her siblings as well as she thought she did, it was just another of their own childish daydreams that would probably pass within a week or a month at the most. They had almost all proven to be far less single-minded in their goals than she was.

"Well, if that's the case, little guy, then I've got another secret for you, just between us, okay? Now I want you to lean in real close, alright?" Nick instructed as Peter eagerly leaned his upright ear closer for whatever this fox had to share.

"You gotta make sure nobody knows how you can do THIS," Nick said right before he suddenly reached his paw behind Peter's ear and suddenly pulled out a quarter. Almost instantly, half the children all gasped in amazement before nearly tackling an unsuspecting Nick to get a better look.

"How did you do that? Do it again, Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick is magic! Teach me, teach me," were only some of the exclamations of the astounded children Nick could pick up as Judy and the slightly older kids had to usher the little ones away so Nick could have some more breathing room; his satisfied grin brighter than he could ever recall it being as he playfully flipped the quarter between his claws before making it disappear with a flick of his wrist to their further amazement.

"Sorry kids, but a magician never reveals his secrets. But maybe I can show you some more while we're here if you behave yourselves," Nick offered; and the kids all collectively were about to squeal with excitement before Bonnie and Stu motioned for them to settle down, which thankfully they did.

"Well, don't YOU just continue to impress? Any other hidden talents you've been keeping from me, sly fox?" Judy asked teasingly as Nick waved a reprimanding finger in her smirking face.

"Now, Carrots, where would the fun be in me showing you EVERYTHING I can do all at once? Besides, it's nothing all that special. Just another one of those things you pick up when you've been moving around as much as I have," Nick said teasingly; loving the childish pouty look on her fuzzy face, while still taking care to choose his words carefully. He'd only now finally been able to get comfortable with her parents and the last thing he wanted was to let it slip he was a former criminal.

"You know, now that you mention it, I've been very curious, Nick. How exactly DID you and Judy first meet? I mean, if you weren't a cop until just a couple months ago, what exactly were you doing before?" Stu suddenly asked; momentarily catching them both off guard as they shared a split-second glance as if to ask how they answer before Nick managed to clear his throat.

"Oh, it wasn't really anything special, all things considered. I was just trying to buy a little fennec toddler some ice cream, but the elephant running the parlor refused to sell me any. Carrots here stepped in and convinced him to sell it to us or else she'd report them for not wearing gloves on their trunks to the health and sanitation folks," Nick quickly explained as Judy smiled and nodded in full agreement. Sometimes it was amazing how fast he could spin words to sound exactly the way he wanted.

"That's right. Very first day on the job, and I was already helping folks in small yet big ways," Judy agreed as Stu and bonnie both looked at each other in amazement at their story.

"The next day, I was given that missing mammal case, I found out Nick here was the last one to see the mammal I was looking for, and one thing led to another, and we were working together; and now here we are," Judy piped in as Nick grinned satisfactorily as the two looked as innocent and confident in their story as could be.

"Wow, it really IS amazing how some folks end up meeting each other. I'd almost think one of you lifted that from a movie if I didn't know any better," Stu admitted as the fox and bunny both exchanged barely noticeable worried glances with each other while still trying to remain as straight-faced as possible.

"But Zootopia's such a large city with so many mammals living in it. I mean, as much as I hate to admit it, I can understand if it were in a small town like ours. Why wouldn't that elephant sell you any if it was for a small child?" Bonnie asked as Nick's ears slightly folded back in reminiscence.

"Simple. It was because we were both foxes. As much as they like to preach that whole thing about 'In Zootopia, anyone can be anything', the sad truth is some mammals like myself are pretty much treated the same way there as they would anywhere else. Nobody trusted me, or even wanted to give me that kind of chance. At least not until Carrots here showed up," Nick explained before rubbing his paw on the top of Judy's head playfully; all while Bonnie and Stu both looked noticeably upset with his story.

"To think, even in the big city, animals would still judge each other like that. I mean, yes, we used to be like that too; but we have Judy to thank for helping us realize there's more to all of us than just what species we're born into," Bonnie lamented as even Gideon by this point looked a bit forlorn.

"That's right. I used to be a real jerk as a kid because I had no confidence in myself, and nobody wanted to even give me the benefit of the doubt. I really owe a lot to ya both, Mr. and Mrs. H. And you too, Judy. Not only are you somehow helping us learn to be better as mammals, but it looks like you're really helping other animals learn to get along a lot better, huh?" Gideon piped in as he, Bonnie and Stu all looked gratefully to her as her ears folded in bashfulness that all this praise was suddenly being showered on her out of nowhere.

"You hear that, Carrots? Looks like you're everybody's hero everywhere you go," Nick teased as Judy fixated her eyes on the floor to ignore the fact she was unwittingly the center of attention, before a pleased smile crept back across her lips.

"Well, even everybody's hero needs one of their own. That's why I have you, dumb fox," Judy answered as it was Nick's turn now to start blushing as his ears too folded back and he was left chuckling nervously to himself while his partner, her parents and Gideon couldn't all help but laugh.

Shortly after that, all the pies had somehow been picked clean, and soon Bonnie and Judy were helping usher all the little ones to their rooms for bed while Stu, Gideon and Nick volunteered to clean up. Nick felt so much more at ease around these new mammals by this point, not even being bothered by the fact that Gideon was proving to be much stronger than him in how much of a load he could carry into the kitchen at once.

"We're really glad you could stick around for the party, Gid. I don't know about you, but after all this time, Bonnie, the kids and I pretty much consider you part of the family," Stu commented as Gideon carried in the last of the dishes.

"Well shucks, that's awful nice of ya to say, Mr. H. Y'all have been real kind to me this last year, it only feels right," Gideon admitted as he quickly joined Stu and Nick in washing everything up.

"It's too bad Betty couldn't make it though. It still amazes me how well she and Bonnie have been getting along since we partnered up," Stu went on as Gideon gave a wistful sigh.

"Yeah, I'm sure mama feels the same way. But she's out visitin' Aunt Marge out east, else I'm sure she'd be here with Mrs. H. laughing the night away," Gideon humored Stu as the two couldn't help but chuckle in amusement to themselves while Nick decided to just bask in the good mood.

"Any idea when she'll be back? I can't imagine running the bakery's easy by yourself. Some of the kids have been talking about it; and if you're interested, we could try sending some of them to help you around," Stu offered while Gideon looked particularly taken aback at something so selfless.

"Nah, I couldn't ask y'all to shorthand yourselves on my account; considerin' all the crops ya gotta harvest before too long. This ain't the first time I been watchin' the place by myself, I can manage," Gideon tried to rebuke before Nick once again let himself be noticed with a clearing of the throat.

"Well, since Carrots and I are here for the weekend, why don't WE help you out? I'm sure we can make up for a handful of bunnies while they're helping make sure this big guy doesn't accidentally burn his place down," Nick offered as Stu seemed to be deeply considering it.

"Are you sure you're okay with that, Nick? I'm sure you realize no farm work is easy. Do you have much experience working in the outdoors?" Stu asked as Nick didn't back down even a step. As much as he loved to make fun of Judy for being a carrot-farming country bunny at heart, his time physically pushing himself at the academy had really engraved into him an appreciation for physical work and personally reaping its benefits.

"Well, I used to make a living selling Pawpsicles in Sahara Square for a while. And even if I didn't, Carrots had been sending me parcels of your blueberries every week while I was at the ZPA. I'd think helping you harvest the little things is the least I can do," Nick explained while Stu slowly grew a smile in satisfaction at his answer.

"Well, who am I to deny a helping paw? Just so long as you promise not to eat them as you pick them," he stated firmly while Nick gave him a sarcastic shrug of the shoulders, as if to silently say _'I make no promises.'_

The three let out a mutual laugh before getting back to work; Gideon looking visibly relieved he'd actually have some help for the next few days.

"So I'm curious, Gideon; have you been in the baking business long? I'd think I would've heard about a fox making pies as good as yours a long time ago," Nick asked out of curiosity once it got around to them setting everything aside for the night.

"Well, not too long; definitely not as long as my mama. She and my daddy opened shop about 13 years back, but once he passed on, she took me in and taught me everything I know. Been runnin' the shop with her for the last eight years now, but we mainly like to cater locally," Gideon explained, and while Nick instinctively felt guilty once the mention of his deceased father came up; the country fox didn't look bothered one bit, as if he'd just accepted it and moved on that easily.

"So I guess you must be pretty close to your mother, huh?" Nick hesitantly asked as it seemed like the only topic of conversation that WOULDN'T make it sound like he'd just ignored everything Gid had just said.

"Sure am. She's been gettin' a bit old for the work lately, but she's still the strongest woman I ever known," Gideon said proudly while Nick felt his spirits slowly sink now that his thoughts were starting to look back.

"How's about you, Nick? I know ya said you used to sell Pawpsicles, but what do your folks do?" Gideon asked curiously, and it took several seconds for Nick to actually will himself to answer.

"Oh, well…uh, I-I'm not…I'm not really that close with my parents these days. Or at least, not with my mom. See, she raised me all by herself, I never even knew my dad. That never really bothered me, but…well, things got pretty complicated a while back, and we don't really talk that much," Nick struggled to say while Gideon and Stu both glanced worriedly to each other to see how much and how quickly this had come to bother him.

"Well, do ya…do ya ever think of maybe tryin' to reconcile? I mean, I know I couldn't handle my mama stayin' mad at me for anything," Gideon asked cautiously as Nick let out a heavy sigh; hating that this particular memory had been brought up so suddenly.

"Yeah, yeah I have every once in a while. Not that that ever got me motivated enough to try," Nick muttered mostly to himself while Stu motioned for Gideon to talk about anything else.

 **Meanwhile…**

Elsewhere, once the last of the kids had finally been tucked into bed, Judy and Bonnie couldn't help but relish in the peace and quiet as they began to make their way downstairs to get Stu and Nick as well.

"Oh Judy, today has been wonderful. I know I already said so, but I feel it still warrants repeating: I'm really happy you could come down for the weekend; and Nick has to be one of the sweetest mammals I've ever met, never mind the sweetest fox," Bonnie said with no limit of sincerity or sarcasm as Judy smiled gratefully at her mother for saying so.

"Of course I'd make it, Mom. And I know Nick was just as anxious to meet you and Dad as you both were to meet him. I'm glad you both like him, he was really nervous what you'd think on our way here," Judy admitted as they stopped in the middle of the hall so they wouldn't have to rush the conversation.

"Oh, but he's such a dear, honey. He's so polite and good humored; and I can just tell from the way he talks about you that he REALLY does care for you. Now I really do know what you meant when you said he makes you feel safe and happy," Bonnie reiterated as Judy couldn't help but blush just thinking back to that unexpected opening up her partner gave them earlier this afternoon. She honestly hadn't expected him to willingly open up like that so soon after meeting them. That had to have been a real strong sign of just how much he really wanted their approval if he was able to lower his constant sarcastic shield so quickly. Honestly, it touched her quite a bit to think he treasured their friendship THAT much.

"Yeah, he really is great, isn't he? I couldn't have asked for a better partner, even BEFORE he decided to be a cop with me," Judy admitted as Bonnie smiled warmly to see just how deeply emotional her daughter was when talking about that permanently grinning fox just downstairs.

"I'm so glad you've been able to make such a great friend out in the city, Judy. I know me and your father can both really sleep easy now knowing you have someone like Nick watching out for you," Bonnie admitted while Judy smiled in childish embarrassment. It really was true; no matter how old she'd get, her parents were never going to be able to stop thinking of her as their baby. Not that she could feel the need to complain to be honest.

 **Later That Night…**

Judy and Nick both lay side-by-side in her old bed, staring up at the ceiling, both of them trying to get a grasp on the lingering emotions the first day of their visit had left them with. Judy was feeling nothing short of ecstatic to the point of wanting to squeal with joy that things had worked out so perfectly. She'd been so nervous for so long that her parents ultimately wouldn't have wanted her working with a fox, regardless of what an immense help and positive presence he was for her. And for just a short time, she'd legitimately felt like those fears were coming true. But by God, Nick was trying so hard to make this work, and she couldn't have been more grateful for him than she was in that moment. And it was a good thing he'd gotten more comfortable with at least getting closer to her by now, because even now she felt so happy, she didn't want to let go of him as they remained cuddled up together.

Nick on the other hand was more…divided. He legitimately already found himself loving it out here. Sure, it was a jarring change of setting and pace for a city fox like him, but once he'd actually gotten accustomed to the wide open spaces and the peace and quiet of nature instead of the bustling of traffic and numerous voices and other city noises, he found himself really settling nicely into this little carrot-choke podunk called Bunnyburrow.

But at the same time, the whole conversation he'd unwittingly engaged in with Gideon still remained fresh in his head. Everything he'd said was true: he had always been raised solely by his mother, things fell through, and he hadn't spoken or heard from her in he didn't even remember how long. And there had been times he wanted to try and reach out to her to try and fix things, but he was always too scared to each time.

And worst of all, even if it hadn't been for Gideon; Judy, bless her little heart, bringing him out here to meet her family, to personally see just how CLOSE she was to her parents couldn't help but bring out a biting sense of comparison inside him, as if he couldn't help but compare what a wonderful family life she still had to what a terrible one he'd created for himself. And with it, the regret of whether he'd ever be able to work up the courage to TRY and fix that at last.

For that entire night, his thoughts were continuously mixed between a true sense of happiness and peacefulness being here with no one but his Carrots for company, and those stubborn remorseful memories of the past he'd foolishly thrown away.

 **Alright everyone, that is the first chapter of the second installment of my Zootopia series: 'Leaving the Past'. This one was a real challenge to put together in this short amount of time; there were moments I felt like I'd written myself into a corner, and times where I wondered what to trim down or what to expand upon. But this is the end result, and I hope you all like it to any kind of extent.**

 **I can't wait to hear what you all think. You all make every step of bringing these stories to life more than worth it.**


	2. On the Job

**Alright folks, fantastic news. My love for Zootopia has been so unlike my love for countless other movies, it actually had me actively looking at how much money it's making in the box office, solely because I so dearly want this movie to be a standout success for Disney, in the hopes it'll inspire them to make a sequel at some point in the future, just like I'm sure so many of you have also wanted. Well, as of today, I now see that Zootopia has officially grossed over 1 BILLION DOLLARS worldwide, officially making it the third official Disney movie to make that much behind Frozen and Toy Story 3, as well as the 26** **th** **highest-grossing film of ALL TIME. This was the goal I so desperately wanted it to reach, to the point that I actually saw the movie a record 13 times to help make it possible. And before you ask, no, I don't regret a second of it. I'm so happy right now that so many people are still going out in masses to see this movie even after it's been out for so long. It really goes to show just how strongly its wonderful story and beautiful message resonates with the rest of the world. I couldn't be more proud of you all.**

 **Anyway, I just really wanted to let that out. So now for the real reason we're all here. Here is the second chapter, and here's where we'll really get the ball for the story rolling. I was so nervous about how Chapter 1 would end up looking, yet you all assured me how much you loved it, and just like all times before, to hear your honest thoughts are what makes this all worth it. So I can only hope this chapter will live up to your expectations. Enjoy.**

 **Zootopia belongs to Disney, not myself.**

"No, we can't unplug the CB so you can listen to Dead Kangaroos **(Dead Kennedys)** , Nick," Judy stated firmly without any hesitation as her partner immediately let out an exaggerated groan of childish frustration.

"C'mon, Carrots; listening to everyone else prattle on about this or that jaywalker or loiterer gets so boring after four hours; even you can't say I'm wrong there," Nick whined as Judy continued driving their cruiser down the busy winding streets of Tundra Town. It was another typical day on the job; a rather welcome experience for their first day after returning from Bunnyburrow. But at least on those regular days, by now something would've happened for our duo to at least get out and run or at the very least get some fresh air.

When Chief Bogo had assigned them to this chilly part of the city, they thought they'd at the very least get to direct a vagrant polar bear from walking in the small mammal pedestrian lane for foot traffic. But alas, no. They'd been patrolling in agonizingly boring silence for four long hours by now, with nothing but their own desperately grasping chatter and the droning reports of their co-workers to keep them company.

"Boring or not, it's still important we're reachable. What if someone got hurt, or better yet what if something happened to one of us? I think we can both agree neither of us wants to be the one to tell Chief Bogo we couldn't respond or call out just because you got bored listening to the CB," Judy explained with a smug grin on her face, as if she knew she'd already won the argument while Nick rolled his eyes and gave her a humble defeated smirk as he rested his head on his paw, gazing out the window at the falling snow on the virtually all-white district outside.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I mean, we're left with the paperwork regardless, right?" Nick mused as Judy quietly chuckled to herself.

"That's right. See? You really ARE learning," she said with exaggerated praise as Nick once more rolled his eyes.

"Only because you're a simple teacher. Okay, so with that being settled, do you think we can at least stop and get some coffee? I know I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night," Nick asked before letting out an exhausted yawn.

"Yeah, as fast as the train ride is, I can't exactly say it makes for comfortable seats for sleeping. Maybe if everyone hadn't tried to make us stay longer, we might've been able to turn in sooner," Judy reminisced to yesterday's events to when they had to reluctantly leave Bunnyburrow. Her parents had once more proven all too reluctant to let their little girl and their new favorite fox go; but the kids especially were nearly heartbroken to have to say goodbye to their Uncle Nick.

"Ah, you can't blame your family. I mean, you bunnies are so naturally emotional anyway. Frankly, I'm surprised they were able to let us leave at all," Nick said bluntly while Judy gave him a semi-amused smirk. As true as it was, it always did annoy her very slightly whenever that cheeky fox brought up her and her family's overly emotional nature.

"Yeah, you've got that right, cheeky fox. For a minute, I thought I was going to have to get in a tug-of-war with the kids over you," Judy said amusedly, trying to ignore that frustratingly sly grin on Nick's face.

"Why, Carrots, it's nice to know you think of me as your literal prize. I must say, I'm flattered," Nick teased as the bunny kept her eyes on the road; having to resist the urge to hammer down on the brakes just to shut him up, even if it did probably mean they'd spin out on the ice as a result.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Nick. Do you want me to stop for coffee or not? Just because you're as awake as the walking dead right now doesn't mean I am too. I can keep going all day," Judy pretended to threaten as Nick let out another defeated yet amused sigh as he scooted away, as if silently motioning to her his surrender. With a proud little smile, Judy soon pulled their cruiser over before quickly reporting their impromptu stop on the CB.

Soon, the two partners were quickly making their way through the gliding snow and the brisk, chilly air to the nearest coffee shop; both letting out a sigh of contentment at the warmth inside, complimented quite nicely by the much more ambient lighting that gave it an unexpectedly relaxing atmosphere.

"Okay, we can hang around for a little bit, Nick; but YOU'RE buying. Don't forget our bet this morning," Judy explained with no regret or hesitation as Nick let out an involuntary groan of exasperation.

"I still say you cheated, Carrots. I'll bet you asked Clawhauser what his favored paw is beforehand. How else would you know which side of his neck today's doughnut would be stuck in?" Nick accused while Judy held her little head up high with a bright smile on her muzzle before motioning for him to step forward and order for them both.

Shortly afterward, the two were seated in a comfortable little booth at the window, looking out at the expanse of Tundra Town at the foot of the mountain this street was on. No matter which part of Zootopia they went to, they always seemed to find the spots with the best views of each one that just seemed to radiate with the incomprehensible beauty this grand city had become so well known for on their patrols.

Honestly, Nick always preferred Tundra Town as his favorite part of the city, even if it was the natural turf of the likes of Mr. Big. He hated getting his fur wet if he could help it, so the Rainforest District was a place he usually tried to avoid, the City Center was by far the noisiest part of the city if he was ever out on the streets, and while Sahara Square was warm all year round, in the summers it was especially brutal. But here, his fur always kept him warm in spite of the frigid temperatures, it didn't immediately get wet from the snow, and it was a surprisingly quiet district despite being easily the biggest district of them all.

As he admired the view, he failed to notice his partner sitting across from him, partaking in her own caffeine rejuvenation while also gazing at him with quite the unreadable look in her violet eyes.

She'd never admit it, but seeing Nick so deep in thought, looking so calm and just overall at ease with the world, always gave her a pleasant warm feeling in her heart. It always seemed to make her remember anew just how much struggling they'd both had to go through to get to where they now were even before they'd met, and just how much they'd come to rely on each other along the way; making the secure and pleasant moments they got to share like this all the more worthwhile. It was like Nick Wilde had unwittingly become her one-step means of remembering how things could never stay bad for anyone so long as they had those they cared about for support.

Granted, this was far from the first time Judy had found herself feeling like this while secretly watching her partner, but today for some reason it came across even stronger than before.

"Is there something on my face, Carrots?" Nick suddenly asked, snapping Judy out of her reverie as the fox was now glancing right back at her.

"No. Why?" she asked confusedly as Nick gave a barely audible snigger before chugging down his cup.

"Cause I couldn't help notice you staring at me; and last time that happened was when I'd gotten that bit of blueberry pie stuck to my face," Nick explained; ignoring how Judy's ears instantly folded down in embarrassment to know he'd caught her staring.

"Right, sorry. Being able to relax a bit just got me thinking back, that's all," Judy tried to cover it up as she hurriedly finished her coffee and tried to hurry for the exit. The sooner they could get back on the job, hopefully the sooner he'd decide not to ask any more questions.

"Well don't leave me in the dark, Fluff. What could you possibly be thinking about?" Nick pestered her as he kept in step all the way back to their cruiser before they both climbed back in.

"Nothing specific. I still just find myself remembering…well, everything…you know, about us," Judy hesitantly admitted as she started the engine and they began to roll further down the mountain road.

"Wow. You think about the weirdest stuff when we've got nothing to do; you know that? It's been two months already, I'd thought you'd be more focused on the future by this point," Nick commented as Judy still felt her ears burning with embarrassment.

"Well, I do think about that sometimes. But…you know, how many mammals can really say they went through half as much as we did, huh? Sometimes it still just really amazes me all the stuff we accomplished thanks to each other," Judy tried to explain while Nick was now glancing at her in mild interest.

"Yeah, well, I guess I can't really disagree with you there. Maybe they'll make a movie about us one day," Nick said sarcastically while Judy let out a semi-amused giggle. She was trying to be serious, but it took a lot to get Nick to do the same. Maybe it was for the best. Besides, while being out on patrol was hardly the time or place for her to get all nostalgic or reminiscent or even start talking about whatever else had continuously been on her mind thanks to that fox sitting next to her. She just had to hope that somehow, there'd come a time where she'd finally be able to get some of her more personal concerns off her chest.

Finally getting Nick to meet her family had definitely relieved a lot of her stress, and to see them accept him and he come to reciprocate so quickly had warmed her heart like nothing else. But thinking back on that amazing weekend had indeed come to bring back some old feelings she'd been continuously trying to ignore all day; but there was no way she was going to dwell on that right now. She'd just have to hope something could happen and they could just forget about her little gazing misstep.

It wasn't long afterward they'd pulled themselves over just outside the main park of Tundra Town. At least, as much of a park as one could expect to find buried under all that snow. But that didn't make it any less pleasant. If anything, watching all the citizens going about their business while juxtaposed to the children all laughing while sledding down the numerous hills or skating on the massive frozen lake provided a strange kind of contrasting serenity to this part of town; enough so that any discomfort or suspicion between Nick and Judy had all but been forgotten.

As they sat in silence, only momentarily disrupted by the occasional CB report from another officer simply reporting in, both partners were currently deep within their own little worlds. Nick had been looking out at the kids with their parents skating across the lake. Even as far as they were, he could still hear the collective sounds of their laughter. To see and hear something everyone could agree was downright precious brought a thoughtful smile to the sly fox. On one paw, it couldn't help but bring back one of his most pleasant memories.

When he was six years old, to celebrate the last day of kindergarten, his mother had actually put together enough money for them both to have their own pairs of ice skates. Obviously he was both immensely excited and immensely scared at the same time. But one thing he always remembered about that day was how happy he felt when his mom had gotten him moving across the ice and had let go of him halfway through without him even realizing it. Of course he'd ended up gliding into a mound of powder, but when he'd realized he'd gone so far by himself, he didn't even think about the fact she let him go. It was one of the most exciting feelings he'd ever had; it made him feel so big and brave and grown up. And of course, the fact they got to end what was one of the best days of his young life with his mother keeping him warm and the both of them looking at how beautiful Tundra Town was all lit up at night with hot chocolate to enjoy only made this memory that much more precious to the formerly jaded ex-conmammal.

On the other paw, he found himself reflecting on everything since that day that had led him to be where he was right now, snuggled up in a warm police cruiser with the best bunny in the world seated next to him. Some days, he still found himself struggling to believe that this life was really his own. He'd become so accustomed to being on his own; having no one trust him and having nobody to watch his back but himself for so long. Just the fact that he owed this complete turnaround to the very same bunny he thought was initially some delusional hayseed following an idiotic dream still felt nothing less but astounding to him.

 _'Oh, listen to yourself, Wilde. Looks like you and Carrots both have the same bad daydreaming habits,'_ that same pesky voice in his head noted sarcastically as the fox quickly shook his head so as to clear his thoughts.

Looking back at the kids ice-skating, the thought of maybe someday bringing Judy out here on one of their days off came to mind. Already he could just imagine that little bunny who was always so confident and brave acting like the same scared little kit he once was having to be on the ice for the very first time; those ears folded down and those eyes wide and both frightened and wondrous. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd get to send her gliding by herself and landing face first in the snow to see the same look of excitement he knew he must've had. He couldn't deny the idea itself was quite enticing.

Honestly, he'd come to hate the idea of ever having a day all to himself without his partner there to make fun of or partake in whatever misadventures they'd think to have at this point. He couldn't even think of at what moment this indescribable attachment to her had manifested itself. Yes, for a long time now he'd accepted he couldn't stand not having her around in his life from now on, but this desire to willingly spend even his spread out times of real freedom in her company? It was an unspoken mystery even to himself.

"Drifting off a bit there, partner?" Judy's voice suddenly piped in, quickly bringing Nick back to reality as he found her looking at him with a greatly amused grin.

"Okay, you got me, Carrots. I won't tease you for daydreaming anymore," Nick admitted as Judy once again gave him that smug smirk of victory like she'd given him back at the DMV so long ago.

"Thanks, partner. It'll be both our little secrets. Gotta say I'm curious, though. You were watching those skaters pretty intently from what I saw," Judy mentioned as Nick laid back in his seat with that same satisfied grin that his partner at least had the awareness to know not to keep pushing buttons like he so greatly lacked.

"Ah, I was just watching those families out there. It just got me reminiscing, that's all," Nick said nonchalantly while Judy's ears perked up with interest. For once Nick was actually thinking back on something positive? Now her curiosity was really piqued.

"Oh come on, Nick; you can't say something like that and just stop there. What were you thinking about" Judy asked with a somewhat childish whine while Nick just let out a tired sigh.

"Okay, fine, stubborn bunny. Well, I actually came out here with my mom once when I was a kid. We—" Nick began to explain, only to see Judy's eyes widen and her ears dart right back up. At first he thought that was just her giving him her undivided attention, until he noticed her gaze was focused outside.

"What's wrong, Carrots?" Nick asked concernedly as he got back up to see what could've possibly grabbed her attention, only for his own ears to perk up as his heightened hearing picked up a single sound from amid the amassed laughter and chatter: the sound of crying.

"You hear it too?" Judy asked in dead seriousness as Nick shot her an equally serious gaze and gave her an affirmed nod.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps. Officer Wilde and I have picked up a disturbance near Tundra Town Park. We're currently investigating, over," Judy quickly reported into the CB before they both stepped out of the cruiser; switching on the radios at their hips just in case.

The two officers quickly rushed into the park; both their ears high up and listening for any trace of that same crying they'd heard. Of course, being among the crowd and all of its own noises proved to make doing that very difficult while the two tried to make their way through the congestion.

Once they'd gotten through, they instantly noticed a small gathering of other animals on the other side of the lake. Wasting no time, the two rushed over, and just as they'd thought, the crying grew louder the closer they came. It didn't take long for them to realize it was more specifically the crying of a small child they were hearing. Instantly, worried thoughts of perhaps one of the skating children being hurt came to mind; but once they managed to make their way through the small gathering, they were instead met with a single small Arctic fox curled up on a park bench sobbing uncontrollably to himself while the crowd were all muttering worriedly to each other. The child didn't look to be any older than five years old.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde, ZPD. Can anyone explain what's going on here?" Judy immediately asked as the crowd shifted their attention to the two police officers. Part of Judy couldn't help but feel frustrated having to ask something so redundant, even if it was for procedure or protocol's sake. It was so obvious what was wrong here.

"We're not entirely sure, officer. Someone just found him like this. We tried asking where his mom was, but the poor little guy's been crying nonstop; we can't even get him to talk. Nobody's come forward as his sitter, guardian, sibling or anything like that," a nearby polar bear explained as Judy quickly wrote down what was said; all while feeling her heart twist and turn at the sound of that poor child's sobbing while a nearby otter was trying her best to comfort him.

All the while, Nick was watching the little Arctic fox with a strange kind of intensity. It wasn't anger or anything like that. It was more like a remorseful recognition. He saw so much of his childhood self in this poor little guy; that same broken-hearted 8 or 9 year-old crying to himself on the steps outside the Junior Ranger Scouts HQ. The same small child that always ran to his mother whenever he was hurt or some other kids picked on him. But this lost child had no one; no one to truly come and calm his fears. This poor little fox looked so despairing and frightened, as if all the larger concerned mammals standing around him protectively were rather monsters leering over his every move and he had no one to protect him. It gave Nick a painful twisting feeling in his gut as he felt his heart catch in his throat to see a child so miserable and alone. He almost didn't even notice when Judy had finally rejoined his side.

"They say nobody's come claiming to be his parents or guardians. I'm calling this in," Judy whispered before pulling her radio from her hip and hitting the button.

"Officer Hopps to Dispatch, we have a 273A in Tundra Town Park; I repeat, a 273A in Tundra Town Park, over," Judy spoke professionally into the radio while Nick instinctively joined the crying child on the park bench; placing a supportive paw on the tiny Arctic fox's shoulder. The child didn't even react or acknowledge this as his wailing had been reduced to quiet sobs.

"Copy that, Hopps. Could you please clarify? Over," the slightly static-disrupted voice of Benjamin Clawhauser responded as Judy glanced to see her partner trying his best to comfort the lost child.

"There's a single Arctic fox child here; male, most likely as old as five. It appears he's been separated from his parents or legal guardians. The crowd watching over him has reported no one coming forward. I want to try and see if we can perhaps get any information on his parents from him, over," she explained as she found her mind racing as well. How could something terrible like this have happened? What kind of parent would lose track of their child like this? Were they not even looking? Where could they possibly have been? None of these questions mattered right now, and she knew that. What mattered right now was getting this poor child somewhere safe and they could figure out what to do next.

"Understood, Hopps. If you're able to get a name, report it in and we'll see if we can run a match for a parent to contact, over," Clawhauser answered as Judy signed out and quickly rejoined her partner. Thankfully by this point the child seemed to be at least as calm as could be expected. Perhaps this meant he'd be open to talking with them.

"Hello there, little guy. What's your name?" Judy asked the child as kindly as possible as the little Arctic fox very hesitantly looked up to meet her eyes as she knelt down to be at his same height. All the while, Nick remained silent. He could tell Judy knew what she was doing by trying to be so approachable to this kid, all while he himself was still struggling with this maelstrom of repressed emotion raging inside him. The last thing he wanted was to ruin all his partners' effort. By this point, some of the crowd had begun to disperse, either out of concern that their presence might somehow frighten the tiny fox, or because they felt the police officers now had everything under control. Who could really say?

"M-M-Max," the scared little fox barely muttered in even a whisper as Judy gave him a comforting smile. This was good, at least she was able to get the little guy talking.

"Hi, Max. I'm Officer Judy and this is my partner Officer Nick. You don't have to be scared of us. We're here to help you," Judy continued as Max seemed to just now notice the red fox sitting right beside him; almost instinctively recoiling back before the bunny managed to somehow keep him calm. Something about this nice lady bunny seemed to reassure him, as if maybe she really could help.

"Y-you are?" Max asked nervously as Judy gave him a single nod of the head. Slowly, the child uncurled from the little ball of fuzz he'd rolled himself into, never taking his eyes from Judy's as her nice smile kept him at least somewhat calm.

"That's right. I just need to ask you a couple questions, okay?" she asked as Max timidly gave her an accepting nod.

"Okay, Max. Would you tell me your last name?" Judy asked as she pulled out her little notebook, all while Max actually looked to be thinking hard, as if he'd actually forgotten in his previous panic.

"V-V-Volpes," Max muttered as Judy quickly wrote his name down before tucking the notepad away again.

"Okay, Max. Now why are you out here all by yourself?" Judy asked as she finally sat opposite Max with Nick. Thankfully, this seemed to really put the child at ease as though he already felt legitimately safe with the two of them.

"I-I can't find my mommy," Max stuttered sadly as Judy and Nick's ears both folded down sadly with him; Judy maintaining her friendly presence while Nick slowly bowed his head; a greatly troubled look in his eyes.

"Do you remember where you last saw her?" Judy asked as Max looked to be struggling trying to remember. She honestly couldn't help but mentally chastise herself for once again relying on such redundant questions. Any kid would've obviously already looked wherever they last saw their parents.

"No. S-she took me shopping with her, and I-I got lost cause of all the people. I looked for her, but I don't know where I am. I can't find her anywhere," Max lamented; his voice quickly descending back into tears as Judy and Nick both exchanged sympathetic glances with each other.

"Well don't you worry, Max; we're going to find her now," Judy reassured him as she hopped from the bench and began to pull out her radio, only to suddenly feel nick lay an interrupting paw on her shoulder.

"What exactly are you doing, Carrots?" Nick asked in a hushed whisper as he continuously shifted his gaze to the tiny child behind them.

"You're kidding, right? I'm giving his name to Dispatch. Then they'll be able to run his name through the system, pull up a birth certificate, then they'll have the name of his parents or guardians to contact," Judy explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world; looking at her partner with confusion as he seemed incredibly reluctant to do it this way.

"How long do you think that would take? Say they try that, call the folks supposed to look after him and nobody's home, or they don't have a cellphone. What then? How would they contact them then? What happens to that kid in the meantime?" Nick asked, his tone growing more and more impatient as his focus was now entirely on Max.

"We're not just going to leave him all by himself out here, Nick. I was going to ask if he'd want to at least come back to the station with us so he could at least be warm," Judy explained, but this answer didn't seem to satisfy her partner at all as she could feel his grip on her shoulder begin to tighten, and his face begin to grimace almost painfully.

"That's not what I mean. Suppose it all falls through. Suppose we aren't able to reach his parents, what then? How long does everyone else keep looking? How long until they just say they can't do it anymore, and that kid is left all on his own?" Nick continued, although by this point he seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else as Judy just stared up at him in confusion of where all this tension was coming from.

"Nick, that would NEVER happen. We're not just going to abandon a child if we can't find their parents, you know that," Judy tried to reason with him. For a few seconds, her partner said nothing. His grip slowly began to loosen on her shoulder. But then without a word, he stepped away from his bunny and quickly approached the little Arctic fox; kneeling down to be at his eye level. Within a few seconds, Judy watched as Max suddenly climbed up onto Nick's shoulders as the red fox began to make his way across the park with long strides in each step; the way a mammal on a mission would move, spurring Judy to quickly run after him.

"Nick, what do you think you're doing?" Judy called after him as she quickly caught up with him, looking up at her partner like he'd gone crazy.

"I'm going to find his mother myself, Carrots. The system is too unreliable, and it takes way too long when it actually CAN be counted on. I'm not just going to ignore a kid who's all alone, understand? I'm not just gonna do nothing and have another kid end up all alone for the rest of his life…not again," Nick explained in dead seriousness; his tone quickly dropping to a barely audible whisper Judy struggled to hear as he made a beeline for the other side of the park.

"Nick, what are you talking about? Don't do this! We don't even know where to start looking," Judy protested, but Nick just kept going like she might as well not have said anything.

"Well we have to try, don't we?! But if you'd rather follow procedure then go right ahead. I'M doing what needs to be done," Nick spat back with such unexpected anger, both he and Judy momentarily froze with equally shocked looks on their faces. Before any more words could be shared, Nick quickly turned away from his partner and continued striding along while Judy just looked at him walk away dumbfounded.

Where in the world did all that raw emotion come from? There was no way this could've been something that just suddenly came up; Nick was at least honest enough with his emotions with her by now that if something were really bothering him, he would've at least dropped some subtle hints. But this had just come right out of nowhere. Why was this sudden incident making him so tense, so distant, and so easy to anger? And what did he mean when he'd said 'not again'? There was no way she was just going to ignore any of this as she quickly took off after him as he reached the sidewalk facing a large department store built into a towering skyscraper.

By the time she'd caught up with Nick, the fox didn't even look like he was thinking in this moment anymore. His gaze was so distant, almost as if he were in his own little world. It looked like the gaze of someone thinking back on something painful. Gone was any trace of that sudden anger and resulting remorse he had. He looked utterly emotionless at this point. The most upsetting thing about this was that this wasn't the first time Judy had seen him like this recently.

Ever since their first night at Bunnyburrow, every night when they were alone, she always noticed that Nick seemed to be off somewhere else in his head; completely unresponsive and giving no signs of emotion. It was nothing like the way he usually was, hiding his real emotions with his grins and constant wisecracks. It was as if he were reminiscing about something farther back than he'd gone in ages, something that really seemed to trouble him. And yet he never seemed to acknowledge it whenever she DID attempt to ask him how he was feeling.

But now that it had been brought out now out here in the open, now it was all too clear that whatever was troubling her partner so badly, it was much more serious than she'd thought it was.

"Nick, what is going on with you? Talk to me, please," Judy pleaded as Nick barely even glanced in her direction before shifting his shoulders so Max wouldn't be at risk of falling.

"If you have to tell the Chief about this, I won't stop you, Carrots. This is just too important," Nick muttered as the crosswalk lights suddenly turned green and he was already following the flow of foot traffic with Judy hot on his heels.

"It's important to me too, Nick. But knowing what's going on in your head is just as important. You've never been like this with me before and I want to know what's going on," Judy tried to reason with him as they reached the opposite sidewalk and Nick began making his way for the department store entrance.

"I get that, Carrots; but this is my problem, not yours. Just let me do this. I have to at least try and make things right for someone else," Nick tried to talk her out of it, but the grey bunny was having none of it; thumping her foot on the floor in frustration before quickly running after him again.

"What does that MEAN, Nick? Why can't you at least trust me enough to let me in and know what's bothering you so much?" Judy asked beseechingly as Nick quickly sidestepped his way through the mass congested crowd of the story; while Max had an unobstructed view over the rest like a lookout. All at once his purpose for carrying Max became clear to Judy, but right now it was her partners' stubbornness that was primarily on her mind.

"This isn't about trust, okay, Carrots? You just wouldn't understand," Nick argued as he thankfully came to a stop, as if giving Max the time to really look around for any kind of sign of his mother among the crowd.

"Then HELP me to understand, dumb fox! We're partners, on and off the job, remember? We help each other when we're struggling, so help me to help you, please," Judy pleaded with clear frustration as Nick bowed his head in regret. Why did he always have to be so stubborn when she only wanted to help him, just like she always did.

"I know, Carrots. I know. You're right. Look, I'll tell you, but let's at least do what we can for this little guy first? I…I can't just leave this unfinished," Nick finally relented as Judy let out a relieved sigh and nodded in agreement. One way or another, she was going to find out what was tormenting her best friend so much, and if helping him lift this self-appointed weight from his conscience would help, then so be it.

"Hey! Hey, excuse me, officers?" a random voice suddenly called out from within the crowd; catching both their attention as they were quickly approached by a young adult snow leopard in an employee apron.

"Officers, where did you find that child?" the leopard asked anxiously as Judy and Nick both exchanged knowing or perhaps hopeful glances with each other.

"We found him all alone outside at the park," Judy explained, and all at once the leopard's worried expression changed into a relieved smile with an accompanying sigh as she quickly straightened herself back up.

"Oh thank goodness. There's a grown up Arctic fox whose been calling out for her child for the last thirty-five minutes. We've been looking all over the store for him," she explained as both officers' spirits instantly rose up, not even noticing Max's ears perk up at the mention of another Arctic fox.

"Max!?" another female voice suddenly called out from the other side of the store; and like a switch had been flipped, the tiny fox practically leapt from Nick's shoulders, and the entire crowd almost instantly parted in time for him and Judy to see Max practically sprinting towards a larger Arctic fox who was running towards him as well before her son practically leapt for her to catch him in mid-air with a joyous hug.

That one magical moment would be engrained in Judy Hopps' memory for the rest of her life for two very major reasons.

One, the nearly overwhelming sensation of happiness and true accomplishment burning in every fiber of her little being to know what she and her partner had inadvertently accomplished. She didn't even care if the way they'd done it was against procedure, or if she'd initially been against it. All she cared about was seeing the looks of sheer bliss on mother and sons' faces to know they'd finally found each other again.

And two, the surprisingly emotional glimmer in Nick's eyes as he watched them. It was strange; it wasn't just a look of happiness for the once parted family he'd wanted so desperately to help. There was a kind of sadness to it too. As if he was seeing something else in the two Arctic foxes that wasn't really there. Instantly, Judy knew it had to be another instance of whatever was tormenting her partner making itself known once more.

No matter what, once they were off the clock, she was going to find out the truth, and no matter what, she was going to help her partner through it, whatever it may have been.

 **Well, much like with the previous story, there was originally going to be a lot more in this chapter, but I decided to split it up so as to meet my one-chapter-a-week quota for you all. I'd never want to keep you all waiting with baited breath for an update.**

 **I'm not gonna lie folks, I had a really hard time putting this chapter together. I try so hard to maintain a balance of what's going on in real time and just what goes on with Judy and Nick mentally and emotionally, cause the inter-personal drama between them is the real focus of this story and not the actual action itself.**

 **But even beside that, I have periods where I struggle with severe depression, and the time I took writing this chapter happened to be one of those periods. It really saps you of the willingness or the inspiration to write. But I realized bringing some much needed light into the lives of others really helps me emotionally as well, so I didn't want to just leave you all hanging. So hopefully this chapter will satisfy you for another week.**

 **Enjoy. I can't wait to hear all your thoughts. Your support really means the world to me.**


	3. On the Trail

**Hello everyone, it took me a good several days to really figure out how to plot this chapter out, but now I think I have it all set. Your reviews and extensions of sympathy for my recent bout of depression have all been greatly appreciated, more than you may realize. And yes, while things too terrible for words continue to happen that both sadden and anger me both in the present and aftermath, one must never allow themselves to be completely consumed by despair. I've personally experienced what it is like when someone let's that happen to them. To know that I actually bring such happiness into your lives through something this simple does my heart untold amounts of good, and I want to be able to keep sharing that with you all. So without further ado, here's the third chapter, and I hope it meets your expectations.**

 **Zootopia is the property of Disney, not me.**

The rest of the day following the incident with the wayward Max Volpes and his mother was thankfully uneventful otherwise. However, that didn't alleviate the immensely uncomfortable tension that now hung in the air between Judy and Nick. Ever since his unexpected emotional outburst and reckless handling of the incident, and especially after he'd relented and promised his partner he'd tell her everything tonight, the two found it almost impossible to really engage each other in their typical day-to-day banter.

Nick was mortified that he'd let something get to him so badly, and especially for lashing out at Judy when he knew she only wanted to help him like she always did. He just couldn't get over just how painful it was to see that poor kid so sad, frightened and alone. It reminded him so much of himself in the beginning when he'd started his conning ways. It was like an ugly reflection of where he'd started, and he hated the idea of someone else being left alone like he was; but nevertheless, he never wanted to snap at his partner like he did. And right now, lowering his guard and telling her what she wanted to know seemed like the only way he could make up for it.

Meanwhile, Judy couldn't stop thinking of how unusual and almost unnatural it was to see Nick act the way he did. He lived and breathed by his self-appointed code of never showing anyone that they or anything else got to him. If anything were ever to make his witty, smirking shield crack, she'd think it would've had something to do with discrimination against foxes or predators in general. But she never would've thought she'd see Nick act the way he did when he took that little child to find his mother. She knew next to nothing about what her partners' childhood was like, aside from his incident with the Junior Ranger Scouts; but she couldn't begin to guess why that would've made him snap at her the way he did earlier this afternoon. But it was all too clear it was just as much a surprise to him as it was to her; otherwise he wouldn't have looked so mortified to know he'd yelled at her at that time. She never liked the idea of people she cared about keeping secrets from her when they were clearly painful, but she liked it even less when it was her partner doing it. She thought she would've had to fight tooth and tiny claw to get Nick to relent and let her in, but she had to be grateful for small miracles he was as willing as he was. She already couldn't wait for their shifts to be over so they could finally tackle what was tormenting her favorite fox in the world head on.

The rest of the day may have slowed to a sluggish crawl, but once they were back in the station to finish the day, everything was back into regular gear. They of course had to face an extensive amount of paperwork for their against-the-book way of solving the Volpes incident, and of course Judy imagined Nick's version made it all sound as if they handled it the most straightforward and natural way possible while she; being ever the model officer, had no choice but to express her concerns regarding Nick in hers, though she'd never let Nick know that. Of course, if the Chief were to call attention to it, what good would keeping it a secret do? And if word had spread through the station that she hadn't followed through on providing information regarding an incident after she'd specifically said she would, then there was no way she could just pretend like nothing happened in her report. So just because she'd wanted to follow procedure, she'd effectively gotten herself stuck in a personal corner.

The entire time they put everything down, Judy was silently stressing to herself what she would do if that situation were to arise. How could she possibly defend herself to her partner if he felt she was calling his capabilities into question, especially if she was the one who convinced him to take this career in the first place? That kind of mistrust and doubt coming from her would destroy him, and she knew it. Halfway through, the little voice in her head was practically screaming for her to delete everything she said about Nick in her report, but though mentally she was willing, she couldn't physically bring herself to do so. And by the time she'd finally willed herself to try, she'd already submitted it.

In a way, she almost felt like she'd dug a grave for Nick's promise in this career as well as one for where their friendship would stand from this point forward if her concerns were to be brought to light. To say she looked like she was emotionally wrecked by the time they'd finally clocked out was a major understatement; and how Nick managed to not even notice was beyond her. But by God, she wasn't going to let this latest regret stop her from at least solving her partners' issue personally now that they would finally have some time alone. At least she could rest easy knowing she might've been able to do this for him without any regrets.

The chance to finally collect her thoughts and really figure out how she was going to approach this no-doubt hectic evening with Nick seemed so close and yet so far to Judy as they had finally punched out for the night and were making their way across the lobby for the exit. Any passing glances from her fellow officers who'd no doubt gotten wind of their incident didn't even register to her. All she could focus on was getting home and finally getting to the bottom of this whole thing. It was only a handful of steps left until they'd finally be out that door and…

"Hopps," the echoing call of Chief Bogo's voice from up above froze the petrified bunny in her tracks, with Nick in similar fashion as she was too hesitant to even look back over her shoulder to acknowledge her boss. That didn't mean she couldn't feel his inescapable gaze burrowing into her back from three stories away.

"Hopps, in my office now," Chief Bogo ordered as Judy felt all the breath escape her lungs as the feeling slowly returned to her extremities. Freedom from her guilt and related worries was so close…so close and now unreachable.

"Hey, c'mon, Carrots, it can't be that bad. Let's just go up there and see what—" "Not you, Wilde. This is a matter I need to discuss with Officer Hopps only," Chief Bogo interrupted Nick in the middle of his attempt to calm his partner. The fox could only let out a defeated sigh as he respectfully stepped back. Even he wasn't willing to test their boss' normally hair-trigger temper, especially considering the events of today. If anyone was a stickler for procedure, of course it was the buffalo that signed their paychecks, and right now Nick did not feel like figuring out how far he was able to be pushed.

"It's okay, Nick. Don't wait up for me. I'll catch the next train and see you at home, alright?" Judy asked rhetorically as Nick looked very reluctant to just leave without her. She liked to think he was as eager to get his personal weight off his chest for her as well, and now they were both being denied that chance. But at least if there was one thing Nick Wilde wasn't, at least these days, it was uncooperative.

"Alright, Carrots. You know how to deal with 'Tall, Dark and Ugly' way better than me, so I know you'll be okay. I'll see you at home," Nick said with a nod of agreement as he hesitantly made his way out the door while Judy nervously turned on her heels and made her way up to Chief Bogo's office.

The entire way up, she felt like the world's heaviest anvil had been slung over her shoulders. She didn't want to think he'd gotten to reading her report this soon after she'd submitted it. Surely he would've been bogged down under everyone else's and she wouldn't have had to worry about the repercussions of her details at least until tomorrow morning or evening at the latest. At least so she and Nick could've had that chance to finally clear the air first. But no, here she was now, less than a few steps from his office door, and the poor bunny felt like she was going to collapse of a heart attack at any moment. There were only so many ways this ENTIRE professional inter-personal mess would be resolved, and not one of them were good for her or Nick.

Once she very reluctantly opened the door, she was immediately overshadowed by the hulking form of the water buffalo chief of the ZPD sitting at his desk, looking over his computer with even grimmer determination than usual, and she definitely didn't want to dare ask what it was.

"Sit down, Hopps," the chief ordered with no inflection or trace of emotion in his tone, just that same professional yet intimidating monotone he was so well known for among his officers. Judy didn't dare make eye contact as she climbed onto the solitary chair facing Bogo's desk. She had to constantly psyche herself into calming down, because once the chief was going to start talking, there weren't going to be any more chances. Sure, he had his moments of being perfectly approachable and even compassionate, but even as good as he was at hiding his real emotions, Judy could clearly tell he was not in a good mood.

The minutes felt like hours; the air only occasionally broken by the sound of the chief's hooves typing away while Judy felt her pulse steadily climbing with the unbearable anxiety. It was almost like he was intentionally torturing her with his silence, making her have to manually count down every second before he would finally say something and just get this dreaded reprimanding over with.

And that was when the typing finally stopped, and she once again felt the giant water buffalo fix his gaze on her.

Without a word, Chief Bogo turned the monitor for his computer towards Judy, and she instantly recognized her own report reflecting back at her, and like that, her heart sank to the bottom of her feet.

"Would you care to explain this to me, Hopps? When one officer describes the lapse of judgment in another, I think it's much more proficient to get the truth from the source. So…explain," Bogo ordered, and the incredibly low tone with which he spoke nearly sent chills up Judy's spine as she found herself struggling for words.

"S-sir, I-I don't…I don't know where—" Judy began to say; her words failing her in record time as Bogo didn't even remotely flinch.

"Start from the beginning, Hopps. Calling into question the capabilities of a ZPD officer, especially your own partner, is a very serious matter that I as chief can NOT take lightly, so I need to know all the details right now," Bogo stated as Judy bowed her head to try and collect her thoughts. She was already one foot into this inescapable hole, so she might as well go all the way in.

"Officer Wilde looked to be reportedly unnerved or distressed by the situation involving Max Volpes, sir. Why, I can't say. I was going to report the child's name to Dispatch so we could run it through the system and pull up the ID for a parent, but before I could, Officer Wilde personally took the child to try and find his parents on foot. I tried to stop him, make him see reason, but he wouldn't listen, sir," Judy reluctantly went into as much detail as she could while Chief Bogo put his hooves together; his eyes shut as he let out a low and clearly tired groan.

"So he directly went against proper procedure and took the handling of the incident into his own paws. He acted recklessly with no regard for his partner. Does that sound right?" the chief asked as Judy immediately flashed back to Nick's momentary outburst towards her. There was no getting around it. As far as the rules were concerned, the chief had hit it right on the head.

"Yes, sir," she muttered barely over a whisper as Bogo briefly pinched the bridge of his snout in exasperation.

"You two have proven to be truly exceptional officers in the brief time you've been working together, Hopps. All things considered, you're one of the best teams in this station. But as your boss, I need to uphold the rules that keep this force working as a cohesive unit. A direct action against protocol like this is no laughing matter. We need to report our actions and work together when dealing with any situation, especially sensitive ones like this, you know that. But unfortunately, it would seem your partner either doesn't, or has blatantly chosen to ignore that fact.

"I can't in good conscience let a clear disregard for the rules like this go unnoticed, Hopps. I'm sure you realize that. And the fact that Wilde's report clearly fails to mention anything of the incident that yours had; shows that disregard clear as day. It may be his first offense, but it's still a considerably serious one. I'm afraid this leaves me no choice but to temporarily suspend him for the next three weeks starting tomorrow," the chief finally finished as Judy felt her blood go cold. This couldn't have been happening. Because of one lapse of judgment that he personally felt was justified, Nick was going to be suspended? Who could possibly guess how he would take that kind of punishment for doing what was ultimately the right thing? And what was even worse: she knew it was because she couldn't just keep it to herself that this was happening.

"No, Chief Bogo, please wait," she tried to protest before the ZPD chief rendered her silent with another of his piercing glares.

"I don't make decisions like this lightly, Hopps; you know that. But I can't have one uncooperative mammal feel that they're able to do whatever they want when it comes to doing their job," Bogo stated as if it was the one rule that was always cast in stone as he pulled his monitor back and began to no doubt fill in the order for Nick's suspension.

"Sir, this wasn't Nick actively choosing to disobey orders," Judy almost instinctually exclaimed; and to her surprise, Bogo's typing stopped, and his eyes slowly returned to meet hers.

"Explain yourself, Hopps. Now," he ordered as Judy at least silently felt grateful she'd been granted some wiggle room.

"Sir, I apologize in advance for having kept this info to myself up to this point, but I feel that there's more going on with Officer Wilde than we know of that may very well have helped influence his actions today," she tried to explain as professionally yet concisely as possible. The chief didn't say a word, only twirling his hoof to motion her to continue.

"I've been noticing a strange change in his behavior over the last few days, sir; specifically starting the first day of our leave this last weekend. There appears to be something greatly troubling Officer Wilde, but he's been very hesitant to tell me what it is exactly," she elaborated further. Chief Bogo by this point looked to be all ears in terms of his posture, since his face remained as stoic as ever.

"So let me see if I understand you correctly. You're saying that Wilde may be going through some kind of psychological or emotional difficulties and that may be what led to his little error in judgment in regards to carrying out his duties? Because if so, that's even worse than him deliberately acting on his own accord. An officer with an unstable grasp on their emotions out in the field is potentially a danger to themselves, their partners and the general public. We need to be cool, calm, and collected at all times so as to carry out our duties at a moment's notice with the utmost efficiency. So if what you're saying is true, not only will I need to suspend your partner, but I'll need to have him applied for psychiatric evaluation as well," the chief explained in the most dead serious tone Judy could ever imagine hearing from him. Just like that, what had started out as the worst possible outcome for her partner had somehow managed to get even worse, and right now all she could feel was sheer desperation to somehow help get Nick out of this for both their sakes.

"Chief, please wait! I think I may be able to help him," Judy pleaded as she felt her boss' aggravation only rise that much higher. She knew she wasn't making any of this easier for him, but there was no way she could just let everything fall apart like this and not even try.

"How? You may have gone through the same criminology courses in training as the rest of us, Hopps; but that's not the same as what you're looking at here. You're not a licensed psychiatrist, so I don't see how you could possibly have a better chance at setting Wilde straight than anyone else," Bogo said in frustration as the little bunny surprisingly stood her ground. This was her last ditch effort, the only shot she had to set everything right, and she was going to take it.

"Because he's my partner, sir. I'm the one who drove him to become a cop, and I'm the only mammal he can work with; and that goes both ways, sir. The last I asked him about this, he agreed to at least tell me what exactly has been troubling him tonight. I know that if we can start from there, we could be able to figure out how to fix all this. Please, sir, I'm only asking you for this one chance," Judy stated with as much confidence as she could as every second she was mentally praying and hoping for Bogo to at least let her try.

She was only met with that familiar yet dreadful silence as Chief Bogo looked to be very deep in thought, to the point she could almost envision the gears turning in his head as he went over every possibility and option.

"You really have a bad habit of making things that much more complicated, Hopps. But…that stubbornness of yours has led to good results before. Fine, but I'm only giving you this ONE chance to try and help Wilde through whatever it is that's troubling him. But if you aren't able to do it, then I'm afraid my hooves will be tied on the matter. I can't have an emotionally or mentally troubled officer out on the streets potentially putting other officers or the public in harm's way. I'll have no choice but to suspend him and put him up for evaluation, and if the results don't come out promising, then I'll have no choice but to have him resign."

Those words hit Judy like a multitude of brick walls. That was what it was all going to come down to. She'd inadvertently landed her partner in this predicament, and now she only had one chance to get him out of it. Failure was not an option. Either she would help Nick conquer whatever was tormenting him so badly, or he'd no longer be an officer of the ZPD…he'd no longer be her partner.

"I understand, sir. Thank you," she struggled to say as the water buffalo collapsed back into his chair in utter exhaustion from what a draining experience this evening had already proven to be for him. He had nothing but respect for the bunny/fox duo, but he still had responsibilities to live up to, and that did sometimes mean having to play the bad guy in the grand scheme of things.

"Don't thank me just yet, Hopps. Let's just hope you'll be able to come through, for Officer Wilde's sake. I understand and respect why you want to do this for him; considering everything you two have been through, and I really don't want to have to put an end to that if I can help it. So do whatever you feel is necessary to help him, but try not to take too long. I'd prefer to have two of my most effective officers back on duty sooner rather than later," the chief said as Judy could only nod in acceptance; silently grateful he was at least giving her the go ahead to take whatever time she needed for this unexpected yet voluntary undertaking.

The entire way back home, her mind was a maelstrom of questions. There was no telling how she was supposed to approach Nick now after she'd been pulled away. Of course he'd ask what it was all about. There was no way she could let Nick in on just what was at stake. He'd be too stubborn to go through with it if that were the case; he'd just insist he was fine, and she wasn't going to stand for that, not now. This was a case now of protecting their solidarity as partners and saving her best friend. As far as she was concerned, her whole world was at stake now.

Once she found herself standing at the door of their apartment, she felt like her heart was going to burst as she took several steady breaths to calm her nerves. There was no going back now. Once she was through that doorway, it was going to be non-stop effort to finally bring this disastrous period in their partnership to a close.

"Hey, there she is. And here I was thinking I was gonna find you sleeping under your desk in the morning," Nick instantly greeted her as soon as she opened the door; already casually splayed out on the sofa and watching TV.

"Yeah, I was kinda worried about the same thing, but no such luck," she struggled to give him a witty retort as she shut the door behind her before taking another deep breath for her nerves.

"Well, I guess there's always tomorrow. You just know the chief's just looking for an excuse to put us through it. Speaking of which, what did the big lug want with you?" Nick asked, not wasting any time to put Judy right on the spot. She involuntarily flinched as she was immediately going through a million thoughts a second on how to approach this. The only thing that really stood out among them was that under no circumstances was she to mention the ultimatum the chief had given her.

"Oh, he…just wanted my personal input on how you're holding up in the field so far, that's all," she immediately said with an utterly embarrassed grin, all while glad the fox was still watching the screen in front, cause she had the worst poker face of any mammal she could think of.

"Really? You know what's something important I've learned, Carrots?" Nick asked as Judy's false optimism instantly faded.

"It's that if you really want to get ahead, you gotta learn how you interact with others. And one very important part of that is knowing not to lie to a professional liar; former, in our specific case. The chief wanted to talk to you about the fiasco with that kid, didn't he?" Nick asked rhetorically as he muted the TV and finally rolled over to finally look her in the eye. To her relief, he didn't look angry that she'd just tried lying to him. If nothing else, he looked resigned, as if he was ready for whatever bad news she had in store.

"Well…yeah, he did. He knows how much we talk, obviously, and he just wanted me to tell you that you need to stick to procedure from now on. We can't have an episode like that again," Judy explained; all the while hating herself for keeping the essential details from him. If anyone deserved the whole of the truth, it was the mammal most directly affected by it, right? But she knew how ultimately sensitive and especially defensive Nick was, and if she was going to get real results out of all this, she was going to need him to keep his guard lowered.

"I know, I know. Well, it's good to know Chief Buffalo Butt at least isn't above giving second chances. If I'm being completely honest, I don't fully know what came over me either," Nick admitted as he rolled onto his back; staring intently up at the ceiling as Judy slowly came to his side and took her reserved spot at his feet on the end of the sofa.

"Do you…do you think you're ready to at least try and find out?" Judy hesitantly asked as Nick took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, as if he needed to do as much mental psyching up as she had to.

"Well, let it never be said you ever wasted time getting to the point, Fluff. And I don't even need to try," Nick admitted as he sat himself up so they could at least be on equal footing. They both took a deep breath as the time had finally come to lay it all on the table for each other.

"Nick, I've noticed that there's been something very…different about you for the last few days, since the first day we spent with my family. You seem to be a lot quieter when it's just the two of us, and you always seem to be really deep in thought a lot of the time. And I don't mean the way you usually are when thinking up new nicknames or jokes to answer everything I say with. It's like…it's almost like you cut yourself off from reality and go somewhere…wholly different, somewhere that I can't follow you to. It's a lot…it's a lot like how you were that night on the sky tram, when you told me about the Ranger Scouts. Like you're reflecting on something serious; something painful.

"I can't imagine how hard it must be, but I know you know you can share these things with me, just like I know I can share the things that trouble me with you, Nick. I'm sure you must think that sharing these things is nothing but a burden on me, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. You're important to me, Nick, and how could I call myself your friend if I didn't want to be here for you? You don't have to keep things from me anymore, no matter what they are."

As much as Judy wanted to continue, subconsciously she knew that if she did, she'd ultimately just be repeating herself, and that kind of trap was exactly what she wanted to avoid. This was a time where being careful with her words was more important than ever, and with each word she was carefully looking for any of Nick's telltale signs of reaction; continuously hoping she'd be getting through to him and convince him to finally stop being so secretive and just finally get it out in the open.

"Let me ask you something real quick, Carrots. A lot of what you're saying is real similar to what you've said the last few times we had these little chats. Whenever we hit a rut like this, it always comes down to the same points: 'we're partners on and off the job, we don't have to keep secrets from each other, I want to get involved and help you only because I care.' It's the same notes on the same little checklist for whenever you've needed me to open up to you about something that by all rights you shouldn't have any business in. So let me just ask you this: Do you really think that giving me the same spiel about our being partners and how we're both no longer alone over and over is going to keep convincing me to spill the beans to you?"

Judy could almost literally feel her heart breaking. The tone Nick spoke with sounded so…derisive, so condescending, so hurtful. Did he really think she was just pulling these words out of thin air because she thought they were what he wanted to hear? How could he ever have thought that about her? Everything she'd ever said to him, she meant each and every word from the bottom of her heart; and to hear him talk like this to her was already starting to bring those pesky yet familiar tears back to her eyes.

"Because if so, then I think you should know…that so far it's working," Nick finished; a self-satisfied grin spreading on his muzzle as Judy looked utterly blindsided for a few seconds. When it finally clicked in her head what the fox had just said, he was instantly met with an exceptionally hard punch to his arm.

"Oh, you dumb fox, don't mess with me like that when it's serious! I-I thought…I thought you really meant…" Judy began to chastise her partner; repeatedly punching him in the arm before finally collapsing into his chest while trying so hard not to start sniffling. He already got the satisfaction from getting the drop on her; she wasn't going to let him know he got her crying in what had to be record time.

"I'm sorry, Carrots; I really couldn't resist this time. I mean, you do have a tendency to use a lot of the same key phrases these days when we get this serious," Nick said in a much more soothing whisper as he simply held his partner close before she finally took her face away from his chest.

"Well excuse me if I don't have a thousand alternate options at the ready to mix it up. You know when I get like this, I'm always serious with what I say," Judy argued as Nick just let out a clearly amused chuckle to himself.

"Yes, I know, and I do still appreciate that, Carrots," Nick assured her as they finally found themselves sharing another comforting mutual laugh with each other. At last the uncomfortable tension that had been hanging over the bunny cop's head was cleared and she felt more confident than ever in where they were going to go from here.

"So, do you think you're ready?" Judy finally asked as Nick still clearly looked to be struggling what choice to make. Of course, anyone would be hesitant to just let another mammal in on their secrets; especially someone as naturally secretive as him. But at this point, she was starting to feel her patience really start to falter just knowing they were so close.

"Yeah, I think I am," Nick FINALLY relented as Judy quickly sat herself up straight while he did the same; taking a few seconds to compose himself.

"The thing is…when we went to visit your folks, I wasn't just nervous because I was one fox in front of several hundred bunnies. It's because they're YOUR family, Carrots; and by all definitions I'm the outcast there. Families have always been something I've never really done too well with. What I mean is you know how much time I've spent looking after myself. So for your family to have accepted me so easily…that really blindsided me, I didn't REALLY know how to react to that. I mean yeah, I was talking and getting along with everybody just fine, but the whole time it just couldn't feel all that natural to me. But then…this all started once I really started paying attention to you and your mom.

"I told you before how when I was growing up it was just me and my mom, right? Well…when me and your dad spent some time with Gideon, they started talking about how close he was with his mother and…well, it got me to really start thinking way back to when I was a kid. For a while, my mom was the one person I thought I needed, because she was the one that was always there for me when I got hurt or when other kids picked on me. But that didn't last too long once I really started growing up.

You know how I said I was making about 200 bucks a day every single day since I was 12? Well I wasn't exaggerating. That's when I really started becoming the witty, small-time yet smooth criminal you know and love. But even in spite of the money I was making, my mother didn't like what I was doing. She kept trying to straighten me out, try to earn money an honest way, but I was so stubborn…I was so stupid. By that point I thought the world would never give me a chance to be more than just ANOTHER fox, so I thought she was just deluding herself. I didn't change no matter how much she asked me to, and ultimately, we couldn't even be under the same roof anymore.

"After a few years, we just ended up parting ways, and I never looked back on it until only just recently. She kept telling me how she felt I was meant for great things, but I never believed her at that time. But now…now I look where I am: the worlds very first fox cop with a little bunny for his partner and best friend. Sometimes I still have a hard time accepting that this…all this is really my life. I mean, I wouldn't want to give up ANY of this, but it just made me realize that in the end, she was right. She was right, and I never worked up the courage since then or to this day to just suck it up and apologize."

The further Nick went, the more Judy felt like everything that had eluded her about her fox for not only over the last few days but the entire year they'd now known each other seemed to simultaneously come together. Everything made sense; but above all else all she could feel was a strange mixture of elation that he was finally letting her into what had to be the most personal part of his past she could think of, while also feeling an incomprehensible sadness for just how truly broken Nick's youth really was. Part of her was practically begging to just hug the poor fox like always, but she was consciously having to restrain herself from doing so. This was his moment, and she was going to let him have it until he was satisfied.

"So…that's what this was all about? The way everything's turned out made you think of just how it all started" she asked softly once she'd realized Nick had finally said as much as he felt he should've and was somewhat eagerly waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I know; pretty sad, right? I'm making fun of how you always reminisce on the job earlier, and yet here I am doing nothing BUT remembering all night. It's just that after that whole conversation with Gideon, the rest of the weekend I really started noticing how much you and the kids got along so well with your mother, and it made me start remembering the way it used to be with mine. We were really close too, and yet I made a stupid decision and ruined all of that, and I was too proud to just go back and fix it; and it's been driving me nuts just thinking about it," Nick continued as his typically smooth voice was actually starting to crack, much to Judy's surprise.

So rarely did he ever actually get so overwhelmed by his own emotions that it actually physically showed like this; and it was yet another of his unaware telltale signs of just how seriously something really affected him; and all at once, it was like the answer came to her from on high in that very instant.

"So then why don't you just take the time to go find her and make up with her?" Judy asked as Nick slowly shifted his gaze to meet hers; looking at her like she'd asked him to do the impossible.

"You think I haven't wanted to, Carrots? Yeah, there've been times I wanted to more than anything, but I could never work up the guts to just go back home and apologize. I guess it's just that stupid male stubbornness in me. But even if that wasn't the case, I was always too scared to…because what if I did go home, found her, and finally just apologized for how stupid and stubborn I was…and what if she wouldn't forgive me?" Nick finally asked; his voice descending to barely a mutter as he'd finally confessed what had to be his deepest and most personal fear as Judy watched him become so exposed, so vulnerable. She felt her heart instantly catch in her throat as she slowly approached him and brought her little arms over his shoulders; holding onto him tight like she always loved to do.

"But what's worse to you, Nick? That you work up the courage to try and she really doesn't…or staying where you are right now and spending the rest of your life not knowing?" she finally asked as Nick's expression slowly shifted into one of both realization and acceptance. Darn this dumb country bunny; how was it a city-wise fox like him could be able to effortlessly outsmart so many, and yet this little farm rabbit could manage to put something so complex and personal for him into such clear perspective? Who knows? Maybe that was just one of the many big things that made her such an irreplaceable part of his life.

"I don't know how you keep managing to do that, Carrots…but darn it, you're right. If I could tough it out through training, there's no reason I can't do this. And if she does still hate me…well, heck, I've still got you," Nick said in surprisingly enthusiastic agreement as Judy's face instantly turned into an elated smile before the fox suddenly pulled her in tight and held onto her in gratitude.

Neither mammal felt the need to spoil the moment with any further words as they both felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. Judy always felt ecstatic whenever nick opened up to her. It was the most telling sign of just how much he'd come to trust her and actively want her to be a part of his life. And Nick couldn't have felt happier to have opened himself up to that persistent little cottontail. Anyone else would've no doubt called her an annoying pest for how stubborn she was when it came to these things, himself included at one point. But now, he couldn't have been more grateful to have such a nosy best friend.

"So, how would you feel about us trying this in the morning" Judy suddenly asked; prompting Nick to shoot back up, nearly accidentally throwing the little bunny off as that relaxation and calm had instantly been replaced by that same awkward nervousness she'd come to find so cute on him.

"Seriously? Isn't it enough I finally told you what was wrong at least?" Nick asked; trying to fight that almost natural urge to stutter nervously as Judy's confident grin didn't seem to relent in the slightest.

"Nick, the sooner we can at the very least put your mind at ease, the better. If we don't seize this opportunity now, then when?" she asked as Nick was about to open his mouth to protest, only to slump over in defeat. Once again, she was right. If old habits die hard, then his habit of backing away from something from sheer nervousness would no doubt set in if he dared hesitate.

"Alright…alright, tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning…we do this," Nick stated with renewed determination as Judy nodded enthusiastically; nearly inspired to see him so ready.

"Darn right we are! Oh…uh, you wouldn't happen to know where she lives, would you?" Judy agreed with excitement before instantly realizing the first important step she hadn't even stopped to think of.

"Of course I do. Mom was always the 'home is where the heart is' type, so if she's anywhere, I'm willing to bet she's still at our old house down in Sahara Square. And don't you worry about directions, Carrots. I remember every nook and cranny of this town like the back of my paw."

 **The Next Morning…**

Nick Wilde was nearly as stiff as a board the entire way, from the moment they'd both gotten out of bed. It was almost as if all the courage and determination he'd worked up yesterday had somehow given way to sheer petrifying anxiousness. His eyes were always focused forward, and Judy nearly had to pull him the entire way from their apartment to the nearest train station headed toward Sahara Square.

They hadn't been able to get ahead of the morning commute; forcing them to share the train car with a whole multitude of other animals on their way to work. All the while, Judy was silently thanking her lucky stars over and over again that Nick hadn't thought to ask about why they were actually missing a work day for this. She just had to assume he was so consumed with thinking about what to possibly say when finally reunited with his mother that everything else was simply secondary in importance.

Thankfully it didn't take too long before they were in northern Sahara Square, and by this point Nick had at least worked up the courage to walk on his own, though he was still deathly silent and looking like he was going to keel over any second; at least for the duration of the walk where Judy wasn't holding his paw.

Following the directions on her GPS after Nick had given her the address, it took them a painfully lingering and awkwardly quiet forty minutes to get from the station to the solitary red apartment block that Nick had identified as 22 Acacia Avenue.

Judy felt Nick's grip on her paw tighten ever so slightly, but enough to get her attention as she glanced up to her partner. His eyes were focused solely on the left window on the third floor. It was as if he were in the middle of experiencing yet more painful flashbacks the longer he stared before his attention was regained when Judy started gently running her thumb across his paw in a silent show of comfort. Looking at the ever supportive bunny standing loyally at his side, Nick honestly felt ready; ready to take on the past and the whole world if need be.

"So are you ready?" Judy finally asked once their eyes met as Nick took a deep, steadying breath.

"Not one bit…let's do this," Nick said in resignation as they finally began to make their way for the entrance.

The halls were surprisingly quiet as they stepped inside. There wasn't any sign of a guard or landlord in the lobby, but that didn't matter. Nick didn't falter as he and Judy made their way up the stairwell; the sounds of their footsteps echoing up and down the halls as they finally reached the third floor before ultimately ending up at the last door on the right.

She could clearly hear Nick beginning to hyperventilate as they stood before the door mark '334'. His pupils had retarded and his paws were continuously opening and closing into fists. This was more scared than he could hope to remember ever having been before. It was that dreaded sense of no turning back. He'd come this far, and if he were to turn back now, he knew he'd never be able to forgive himself. He couldn't even hear Judy trying to talk to him, no doubt to try and calm him down, as he finally took the last step forward and wrapped his paw on the door.

Now it was over. That was the last chance. Now he had no choice but to remain glued to the floor and see what was to happen next. He didn't even realize he was silently mouthing the words racing through his head, as if subconsciously trying to recite what he could possibly say once he and his mother were finally face to face.

Then the silence was pierced by the unlocking of the deadbolt. Nick nearly felt his heart come to a stop as his ears then picked up the sound of the doorknob unlocking; instantly followed by the creaking of the wooden door slowly being pulled open. If he had eaten anything this morning, he almost would've sworn the anxiety would've been enough to bring it all back that instant as he felt his entire body go freezing cold.

"Um…can I help you?" a middle-aged male voice asked from within the apartment, and Nick nearly felt his entire body go numb as he found himself staring back at a single camel standing in the doorway.

"W-w-wha…" Nick was barely able to mutter as he'd found his mind an utter blank.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" the camel asked once again as Judy saw how utterly frozen and unresponsive her partner had become.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir. We were just looking to meet a…a close friend who lived here," Judy tried to explain as she started gently shaking Nick to try and bring him back to reality.

"Hmm, I'm sorry, we don't know any foxes or bunnies, and it's just me and my family here," the camel apologized as he began to close the door on them.

"This…this apartment…didn't a Vivian Wilde live here i-I know she did," Nick finally managed to struggle to make the words come out as the camel just looked at him with confusion.

"Sorry, pal; I don't know what to tell you. This place was vacant when we moved in, and that was six years ago. Sorry," the camel apologized once more before finally shutting the door closed.

Judy felt her heart shatter the next time she looked at Nick. His eyes were still focused on the door, but the light; the very life that had been burning in his emerald eyes was just…extinguished. Gone.

"Oh, Nick…I-I don't know what to say," Judy said sympathetically as she tried to reach out to him, only for the fox to turn his back on her and start slumping back down the hall like a robot.

"Then don't say anything, Carrots. I…I-I need a minute," Nick answered in that emotionless monotone that just killed her to hear coming from him. She couldn't even muster up the strength to go after him. How could she possibly tell him to not give up hope after she'd struggled to give him the willingness to come this far? And for all that effort to be for nothing, and leaving them with no idea what to do next? She couldn't possibly consider the problem solved and have him come back onto the field with her like this. No, now this had just made her dear partner's issues even worse.

"Um, excuse me, miss?" the distant sound of an elderly female voice barely registered to Judy's ears as she found herself sinking deep into sadness for Nick. What she would've given for some kind of answer; some way to fix all this, to bring Nick back to that happy, witty state she admitted to adoring more with each passing day.

"Miss?" the voice called out again, finally loud enough to bring the bunny back to reality before finding herself looking at an elderly female aardvark looking at her intently from the crack in her open door.

"Forgive me for prying, but did I hear someone out here asking for a Vivian Wilde?" the aardvark asked; and with honestly no better ideas or people to ask, all Judy could do was nod; earning a knowing smile from the old aardvark as she opened her door the rest of the way.

"Oh my, I didn't realize anyone here was looking for her. I thought she would've told everyone she moved away like she did for me," she proceeded to explain as Judy stood and listened attentively for a few seconds before hastily grabbing the notepad and carrot pen tucked into her back pocket.

"I'm guessing you and Ms. Wilde were close?" Judy asked as the aardvark gave her an amused little laugh while still looking as though she were trying so hard to remember.

"Well, we weren't too close, but we did talk often. She helped me carry my groceries up the stairs quite a few times, so we did spend some time together. I know after something happened with her son, she just wasn't the same anymore. Honestly, I thought she would've ended up moving away a lot sooner than she did," the old aardvark continued on while Judy kept instinctively writing down everything she said, just anxiously waiting for something to come up that could help.

"Well, if the two of you were as close as you're saying, surely she might've confided in you about where she was going," Judy attempted to ask as the aardvark instantly lit up once the bunny had finally made her point.

"Oh of course, dear. She said she was going back to her old home. I believe she said it was up north in…I think she said it was Reynard's Grove," the aardvark finally said in realization as Judy hastily wrote it down before tucking the notepad away; her eyes beaming with reinvigorated hope.

"Alright, that's perfect! Thank you so much, ma'am," Judy thanked the old female before she began to bound down the hall to catch up with Nick.

"Miss, Vivian isn't in any kind of trouble, is she? I couldn't imagine why else anyone in this city would still be looking for her," the aardvark called after her as she was about to go down the stairwell.

"no, she isn't in trouble, ma'am. This is a family matter," Judy called back to her before she continued down the stairwell. Her blood was burning with adrenaline the likes of which she hadn't felt in ages. This was like some kind of divine intervention; a literal miracle right when she needed one the most. But right as she reached the ground floor, she came to a stop.

There was still the matter of Nick. She'd never seen someone so determined and ready, diffuse so quickly as he had. There was no way she'd be able to bring him back that quickly; not when it had been so difficult to psyche him up for it in the first place. As much as she hated to do it this way, she knew that at this point, there was no other way to convince her partner to see this thing through to its unexpected end than by giving him no other choice.

With a deep breath, she pulled out her cellphone, hit the speed dial, and waited with baited breath in the lobby before finally hearing the click of the other end being answered.

"Hi, Dad? It's Judy—yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine, I promise. Listen, Dad, I REALLY hate to drop this on you so suddenly, but…if I were to hop on the last train to Bunnyburrow tonight alone, do you think you could let me borrow your truck? How long? That depends; do you happen to know of a town called Reynard's Grove? Why? Look, I'll explain in more detail as soon as I'm able to get down there, but this is REALLY important. This is something I have to do for Nick's sake."

 **Alright, and with that, I feel this is a good place to end the chapter and let you all see just where this plot is going to go. I have to admit, for a good portion of this chapter, I feel I was getting really repetitive with how big the stakes regarding our favorite cops has become with this chapter. I wanted to emphasize the importance, but part of me feels like I was grasping trying to balance the actual action and delving into their emotions and psyches with what's been going on. Who knows, maybe I'm worrying for nothing and you all will still end up loving it. I guess I'll just have to find out.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all at least partially like this chapter. I'm eager to hear your thoughts as always.**


	4. Hitting the Road

**I want to thank you all once again for your tremendous support, even in the chapters where I personally feel I fell short in one aspect or another. Just knowing that it brings such enjoyment to all of you makes my doubts meaningless. So, without wasting any further time now that the main plot rails have been set into motion, here's Chapter 4. I hope you all enjoy it like you have everything that came before.**

 **Zootopia is property of Disney, not me.**

' _Why?'_

That was the one word constantly on Nick Wilde's mind that entire night. _'Why?'_

Why did it have to happen this way? Why did he have to find out this way? Why didn't she ever try to contact him? Scratch that, he'd never even thought of contacting her to even tell her his own number. Why didn't she even try anything like putting something in the paper to try and get his attention? He would've thought his inauguration into the ZPD, never mind his being mentioned in the news alongside Judy, would've managed to reach her, no matter where she might've been living her life out in now. That had to have been nationwide news at the very least. So why didn't she ever try to reach out to him? Why tonight of all nights did Judy suddenly have to leave for Bunnyburrow for some unspecified family emergency? Why didn't he insist on going with her? Maybe that could've provided the right kind of distraction for him to get all these nagging and painful questions off his mind.

But most of all, the one question that resonated especially loudly in his mind was _'Why did I have to ruin it all? Why was I so stupid…why was I so stubborn…why couldn't I have just sucked it up and admitted I was wrong?'_

These were the only things the distraught fox could think of that entire night. So much so he couldn't even hope to get a wink of sleep; keeping himself awake and miserable with all the self-loathing and bitterness that was running rampant in his head. All he could feel now was a cold kind of emptiness that left him feeling like a sad, empty husk of his former self. He felt loathing for the world for all the numerous raw deals it had given him over all these years. He felt resentment towards his mother for having left this city and him far behind, as if it were some desperate attempt to start her life over without him dragging her down with him like the selfish fool he was. He felt bitterness even towards Judy for leaving him all alone when he needed her at his side the most. And even then, he felt the most anger towards himself for making everything as bad as it was to begin with. In the end, that was all it came down to.

Yes, the night of the Junior Ranger Scouts had tainted his outlook on life to begin with, but he hadn't done anything to make it better. It was like he'd expected the world to come to a screeching halt and feel sorry for him, as if it owed him something. But that naïve hopefulness towards the world had only withered and died with age, and even with the newfound sense of purpose and hope that his new career and partner had given him; this heartbreaking realization of the most prominent mammal of his past had cast him back into a very familiar, cold pit of self-loathing and self-pity.

Nick's raging maelstrom of mixed emotions and regret had consumed him so deeply; time had become utterly meaningless to him. The minutes and the hours all molded into one another; as if the fox were simply floating listlessly in space, unperturbed, untouched and unwanted. He'd barely even noticed when the night had already given way to the bright rays of early morning. And even when he did finally notice, he didn't even realize he hadn't slept one bit. He'd pretty much been vegetative the entire night, so the fatigue didn't even register to him when he finally willed himself to get up from his bed. For a few solitary moments, he hadn't even realized that Judy wasn't sleeping comfortably by his side like she always did. It only made him remember how she'd involuntarily bailed on him and that just left him feeling even worse. If anything, it gave him some unpleasant memories of all those years he'd spent all alone. _'Yeah, a real trip down Memory Lane'._

Going through the motions, he'd freshened himself up and had his breakfast before looking at himself forlorn in the mirror. By now the self-loathing had given way to just plain emptiness. He had a whole day at work to look forward to with no Judy to partake in it with him now. Who knows maybe he could convince Chief Bogo to just let him do paperwork duty today? The last thing he needed right now was having to work with another mammal he didn't even remotely know.

Suddenly, the familiar vibration of his cellphone suddenly erupted from inside his pocket. With a tired sigh, he pulled it out, only to be greeted with a single text message from Judy: _'Come meet me downstairs.'_

At first, Nick's first instinct was to text her back and ask what happened that needed her to head all the way back to Bunnyburrow so suddenly. No matter how down he was feeling, that was just the polite thing to do. But he also knew just how much Judy hated to be kept waiting when asking someone to do something, so he just sucked it up and quickly made his way down the halls for the lobby. Maybe seeing his Carrots again could at least partially help his mood.

Upon reaching the lobby, he instantly recognized the little bunny standing at the entrance. But he was in no mood for energetic hugs or enthusiastic reuniting as he simply strolled across the lobby. Obviously something was going on, otherwise she'd have just announced her presence coming through their door.

"Well, you certainly got there and back fast. I was starting to think you'd be a few days," Nick said bluntly; not even noticing Judy was glancing away, as if bothered by something.

"Yeah, well…thank goodness for small miracles, right?" Judy asked with an awkward chuckle. By now even the half-at-attention fox could tell she was trying to hide something.

"Okay, Carrots, what's up? You know you stink at keeping things from me, and I'm really not feeling in the mood for guessing games," Nick asked with no hesitation or sugar-coating as Judy's ears instantly folded down. Now THAT was definitely record time for any semblance of a cover instantly being lost.

"I guess you kinda figured since I asked you to come all the way down, huh?" she asked rhetorically as Nik just rolled his eyes.

"Even if that wasn't the case, you have the worst poker face of any mammal I know. So can you please just come out with it?" he asked again, trying hard not to sound too impatient as Judy just let out a soft sigh and motioned for him to follow her outside.

Once they were out, Nick instantly noticed the familiar light blue pickup truck with the words 'Hopps Family Farm' stenciled in chipping yellow paint on the passenger's side door.

"Well…this is definitely unexpected. I never would've figured grand theft auto to be one of your bucket list items, Carrots. Gotta say though, family does make the easiest target if you're a first timer," Nick quipped, somehow managing not to even smirk while doing so, while Judy just put a paw to her face in exasperation. Normally it'd be a great sign to hear him making his dumb jokes already, but this was way too important.

"Alright, Nick, here's the deal. Obviously, nothing was actually happening back home," the little bunny began to explain while Nick just leaned against a newspaper dispenser with his forepaws crossed.

"You don't say. I just figured you said you had to go home so non-urgently because you were wondering what to wear," Nick said sarcastically while Judy let out an involuntary groan.

"Nick, please enough with the jokes, just this once. Look, the thing is…I went back because I needed to borrow Dad's truck," she continued to explain while Nick looked just as disinterested as she'd expect.

"Thinking of starting your own gardening side business there?" Nick instinctively cracked before instantly holding his paws up in mock surrender when Judy shot him a glare that silently said for him to flat-out shut up.

"I needed to borrow it because we have a trip to make," she finally got to the point as Nick raised a single eyebrow at the mention of 'we'.

"Yesterday, after…well, what happened at your mom's old apartment; an aardvark living next door told me where we might be able to find your mother," Judy proceeded to explain; a hopeful smile starting to form on her muzzle once she saw she clearly had Nick's attention.

"She said that she and your mother actually got along pretty well, and that she'd told her she was moving to a town called Reynard's Grove six years ago. While I was away, I got a map to check and see where it is, and I found it. It looks to be about a three or four days drive northwest of Zootopia. This was just too good of a lead to pass up, and I know the chief wouldn't be okay with us taking one of the cruisers, so I had to—"

"Why are you doing this, Carrots?" Nick suddenly interrupted her in the middle of her explanation; Judy's hopeful expression slowly fading once she saw Nick was looking at her with an almost accusatory glare.

"We tried finding her already, and we came up short. She's been gone for six years. All the time beforehand, she never even tried to reach out to me, and even after she'd moved, never even tried to contact me after all that time we were on the news. There's no way she would've been able to miss that. Doesn't it all make it clear to you? She obviously doesn't care about me, so why can't you just leave it at that and just let us be done with it?!"

By this point, Nick was panting for breath from his surprisingly angry rant as Judy was momentarily speechless. Just what had been going through her partner's head last night? Why couldn't she have insisted he come with her so he wouldn't have had to be alone with these poisonous thoughts? Regret could be felt in every fiber of her being that she'd been dumb enough to go about this last-ditch effort alone, but she wasn't about to give up hope yet, even if her partner apparently had.

"Because I refuse to believe that it's that simple. There's no shortage of possibilities why your mom's decided to be silent, or maybe her circumstances have left her no choice and no opportunity to reach out to you. You can't seriously think that she's just abandoned you, can you? No matter how bad things may have gotten between you two, a mother could never be able to detest her son that much, right?" Judy tried to appeal to her partner as he just bowed his head; his face grimacing with stubbornness. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to acknowledge the merit to what his Carrots was saying. He didn't want to relent and tell her she was right, not this time. He wanted to keep wallowing in this bitterness towards the vixen that had given him birth and had so coldly turned her back on him, even though he was the one to have done it first.

But in the end, there was that stupid nagging doubt. That stubborn glimmer of hope that maybe what Judy was saying was true; that maybe his mother did try to reach out to him at some point and he never picked up on it. He was on the move for a long time before being able to officially settle down. And again, he'd never made any effort to let her know where he was. And perhaps this lead Judy had just dropped on him would be true. Maybe this Reynard's Grove, wherever it was; was where Vivian Wilde was living her life in. And maybe if he did take the effort to go all that way, if he found her, maybe it would show her just how changed he now was and how much he deep down wanted to make things right again.

"I don't know, Carrots. I really don't. I mean…let's say you're right, maybe she is out there in this Reynard's Grove place. Maybe she IS still waiting for me, and us going on this haphazard road trip is what it's gonna take to finally fix everything. But what if you're wrong? What if she isn't there at all? Or better yet, what if she IS there, and she never wanted to see me again?" Nick relented before finally asking what had to be the one question Judy was dreading the most, as she just bowed her little head, at a loss for an answer that would be enough to satisfy him. She couldn't deny the painful possibility was there, but she didn't want to think about it lest she were to lose heart herself.

"I know you mean well by doing this, Carrots. You always have, that's just who you are. But…I really don't know. I don't know if I can handle getting myself all hyped up and get broken down from that high point again," Nick said, remorseful that he had to bring the bunny's spirits down so quickly; hating how at a loss for words she was. He could tell she was trying so hard to think of something to say to instill hope in him, if not for the both of them.

"And I wouldn't blame you, Nick. Not in the slightest. But…but we have to at least try. We have to see this thing through to the end; not just for your sake so you can put these memories to bed, but because don't you think you at least deserve some kind of closure?" Judy finally asked; her voice soft as she was working to pick her words carefully as Nick couldn't deny that useful detail. Who cared if this was originally to help put his mind and heart at ease so he could be back in perfect form for the job? What mattered was that he ultimately did need to close the book on this part of his life, and darn it if he wasn't going to take the action to do so, then it was no wonder Judy felt that she had to. Yes, in a way she'd ultimately forced his paw, as he couldn't rightfully say no to this, but perhaps this was one of those cases of 'tough love' that he didn't even realize he'd needed.

"So just to be sure…you're not gonna take 'no' for an answer with this, are you?" Nick asked as Judy looked to be all the more encouraged as she humorously shook her head in response.

"And…you're perfectly okay with taking a…three or four days, was it? That long of a trip from work…just so that I can finally stop feeling sorry for myself over this mess?" he continued as the bunny gave him an affirming nod.

"And the chief is…totally cool with us doing this?" he asked; almost wanting to see the sudden realization hit his partner that she hadn't even consulted their boss about an absence he'd no doubt given no approval for.

At least, until Judy gave him another confirming nod; her smile never dampening in the slightest.

"That's right. I texted him on my way back here. He said to take as much time as we needed for this," she explained as she even pulled out her phone and pulled up that very same text message just so Nick would know she wasn't lying.

"Wow, who would've guessed the big lug had so much potential for playing favorites? I gotta admit, Carrots; your devotion to this is…almost on a scary kind of level," Nick said teasingly as Judy gave him a semi-amused chuckle before she began to head for the truck.

"Yeah, yeah, but you happen to make all that worth it, dumb fox. You know you love my stubbornness," she said teasingly as Nick climbed into the passenger seat; his face almost showing what she could only describe as…relief, or even contentment.

"Do I love the fact that you pretty much strong-arm other mammals into going along with you on even the stupidest endeavors? Well…yes, in this case I do. At least you're not blackmailing me this time," Nick humored her; the two giving each other comforting and assuring smiles as Judy revved the engine and put her paw to the pedal, and soon they were barreling down the bustling streets of Zootopia; soon finding themselves on the virtual labyrinth that was the highway system; heading onwards to the Northwestern border of the city with nothing but their uncertain expectations for what lay ahead to drive them onward.

"So…is there any chance I may get to drive along the way?" Nick finally asked once they'd eventually driven past the sign informing them of approaching the city limits.

"And end up totaling my dad's truck? Keep dreaming," Judy answered almost too fast as the two of them let out a mutual chuckle as they continued on through the winding turns that led through the mountains overlooking the Rainforest District.

"Have you ever been to this area before, Nick?" Judy asked curiously as she almost found herself becoming lost in the fresh new views of these beautiful green mountain ranges; the road soon becoming shielded from above by towering redwood trees.

"Are you kidding? Before this last weekend, I'd never even set foot out of Zootopia. I'm a city fox, born and raised," Nick said at half-attention as he also found himself admiring the undeniably gorgeous scenery.

"So…I guess that means this trip will be a real experience for both of us," Judy realized with a hint of childlike excitement as Nick couldn't help but look at her in amusement.

"Just try not to run us off the road if you feel the need for a picture, Carrots. You've still yet to REALLY prove you rabbits aren't bad drivers. We're not on the job this time, so you've got some proving yourself to do," Nick teased as his partner had to resist the urge to hit the brakes right then like last time.

"Don't give me any ideas, sly fox. Shutting that mouth would actually make some hospital time worth it," Judy teased right back as the fox gave her a single raised eyebrow, almost as if he wanted to call her bluff.

"Go right ahead. You're the one that has to tell Stu why he can't go and deliver his produce anymore if you do," he immediately threw out there, and Judy's playfully rebellious front immediately faded as she gave out an annoyed grumble of defeat.

"You're really getting too smart for your own good, Wilde," she muttered in pretend bitterness as Nick leaned back in his seat with a frustrating grin of satisfaction.

"Well, one of us has to, doesn't he?" he asked mockingly; not even noticing Judy silently giggling to herself. This was great. She had just started to worry if she was going to be getting the old wisecracking Nick back any time soon. This had to be the best sign she could've asked for.

Their constant mutual quips and jokes seemed to make the time fly by almost unnoticeably as Judy soon took an exit off the seemingly endless highway. The smaller roads seemed to provide a much more intimate calming feel to them as the forested mountains soon gave way to just flat out forests, with the tree coverage thicker than either mammal could've imagined.

"It's really something, isn't it?" Judy asked with a kind of wistfulness to her voice that Nick couldn't honestly deny was utterly childlike and adorable.

"Yeah, it really is. The Rainforest District really can't compare. Plus there's a lot less water, so that's a plus for me. Hey, would you mind if I look at that map for a second, Carrots?" Nick asked as Judy reached into the glove compartment and handed it over. Unfolding the massive piece of paper, Nick looked all around the Northwestern region outside of Zootopia, which was set dead in the center. The sheer size of the region from the way it looked on the map was already overwhelming to the fox as he was willing to bet even after the past few hours of driving, they hadn't even remotely entered the region itself. And on top of that, once he was able to actually locate the words Reynard's Grove, it was all the way just north of the center.

"You said the trip to Reynard's Grove would be around three or four days, right?" he asked as he couldn't even imagine where to put his claw on the line he could only assume they were driving down.

"Yeah, both ways. My dad had to ask one of his friends who'd been there before for reference. Why?" she asked curiously as Nick folded the map back up and tossed it back into the glove compartment with a heavy exhale through his fangs.

"It's just that this whole place is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. And who knows if the whole route looks like THIS? If so, who's to say we might not end up missing a turn at some point? I don't know about you, but I'd actually kinda prefer not to get lost out here," Nick explained with some clear concern. Not that she could really blame him. No matter how much it felt like they'd covered a lot of ground already, four days was still what they had to look forward to before they even got there, and unfortunately it didn't look like there were any trains that even headed northwest of the city, as implausible as that still sounded in her head.

But she couldn't deny that these kinds of isolated drives and beautiful views made even the longest road trips completely worth it. In a way, that was one of the main reasons she'd wanted to go about finding Nick's mother this way. It was a fantastic way for them to spend some real quality time together before and afterwards, with nothing but the open road at their fronts and their backs. The whole idea had a real sense of adventure to it, or maybe that was just the wide-eyed child in her that still carried that sense of romanticism she did whenever she saw road trip movies way back when.

"Well, let's just save that worry for if it actually comes up. For now let's just be confident that we know where we're going," she answered with no hesitation as Nick could only look at her in amazement that her enthusiasm wasn't even remotely fazed.

"Well, okay, but what about gas? This place doesn't exactly look like it has room for a station any time soon," he pointed out; only to earn a proud and even hearty laugh from the bunny as she gave the dashboard a single congratulatory smack.

"Don't you worry about that, worry-fox. This thing may look old, but she gets fantastic mileage. And don't even ask about repairs. She's been in the Hopps family far longer than you'd think. My dad's always made a point to have her tuned up and fixed at any sign of trouble, and he even taught me more than a few pointers when I was little; just like grandpa taught him and his father before him," Judy explained with clear pride; not even noticing the entertained smile on her partner's muzzle.

"Wow, a family of carrot-farming grease-bunnies. Will wonders never cease?" he asked mostly to himself as Judy just shot him a sideways smirk.

"Hey, ask nice and I might teach you a thing or two," she suggested as Nick instinctively turned on the radio, as if to willfully ignore the idea of having to get his paws physically dirty.

"Don't get yourself too excited just yet, Carrots. For now let's just focus on getting there. But please don't hesitate to tell me if you're getting sleepy. You know I can drive…kind of," Nick said with only a little bit of sarcasm; his voice lowering the further he went before realizing he should just stop.

 **(Author's note: Sorry to break the flow, but there are times where I feel some specific music can really help add some vibrancy to a scene, no matter how short or more or less detailed it may be; plus it gives me an excuse to open some people's ears to much more obscure tunes. In this case, I feel a good track to add some vibrancy and life to a road trip scene like this, for me anyway, is 'La Via Della Droga' by Goblin. Go ahead, look it up, see if it works with a travelling scene like this or not. This won't be a common occurrence; BTW. I very rarely come across music I feel this inspired to share for the sake of adding to a story's atmosphere like this. Anyway, on we go…)**

The music that was somehow able to get through all the trees helped keep the air between them alive and vibrant before a few more hours passed and the trees began to thin out, right around the same time the first signs of dusk were starting to appear.

Soon, the forest had finally thinned out into an expanse of meadows stretching across rolling hills as far as they eye could see, with only the sparsely spread electrical towers in the far-off distance, and their single stretch of road seeming almost infinite before them. It was definitely different from the rolling plains of Bunnyburrow, but it was still a splendid sight just by how far they could see in every direction the further they drove.

"You'd almost think you were back home, huh?" Nick eventually asked once he noticed the almost nostalgic glimmer in Judy's eyes the more she took in the virtual ocean of tall grass.

"Add a few dozen crops and even more small vegetable gardens, then yeah, it would kinda feel like it," she agreed; leaving Nick once more at a loss of something to keep the conversation going. The radio could only keep their silence from being awkward for so long.

"So let's say we do manage to find Reynard's Grove in the end. All you have is the town name. I seriously doubt mom told this aardvark of yours her street or mailing address. So if we do get there, any ideas how to find out what house she lives in?" he finally decided to ask; having not even realized they were missing the most crucial detail several hours in.

"I'd almost think you were actively looking for an excuse to turn around, Nick. We just strike up a chat with some of the locals and see if they can tell us. If she's been living there for the last six years, I can't imagine she hasn't at least tried to socialize with some if not all of them," Judy explained with that familiar infectious confidence.

"Yeah, you obviously don't know my mother. She was never really the…'social butterfly' as I'm sure you'd like to call it," Nick answered bluntly; prompting his partner to bow her head in contemplation if he was indeed right.

"Well, it still wouldn't hurt to try. Nobody can live life without getting to at least partially know ONE other mammal," she soon said with an almost snappy or even peppy retort; prompting the fox to once more smile in appreciation for her trying her best to remain enthusiastic. But even despite her irresistible sunny smile, Nick was quick to notice the particularly intense grip her little paws had on the steering wheel.

"Alright, Carrots, you might as well tell me what's wrong. The idea of going to a town possibly full of foxes making you nervous?" he asked semi-jokingly; and even though she could tell he wasn't accusing her of anything, the bunny couldn't help but feel a little guilty. As much as she'd sworn to herself never to judge another mammal without really getting to know them again, a trace of that old childhood, or maybe even just instinctual, apprehension to being around so many of her species' natural predators was manifesting deep inside her. There was no way she could tell that to her partner. Even with that calm, confident smirk on his face, she knew saying 'yes' would end up offending him. Yes, he'd proven to be everything she didn't think a fox could be, so that made this stubborn feeling of unease that much more frustrating for her.

"Well, don't you worry if it is, because that's why I'm here. I'll protect you from the big bad foxes, okay?" Nick suddenly said right as Judy was about to open her mouth before looking at her partner in clear surprise. She would've sworn if he'd been able to figure it out just by looking at her, he wouldn't be nearly as casual as he always was otherwise. It was as if he wasn't even remotely insulted by the fact she apparently hadn't completely gotten past her deal with his species and just brushed it right off his shoulders.

And just what he'd said; any other time that would've been a goldmine for him to make fun of her with. Joking had always been his go-to response for literally every possible occasion…but now, his very first instinct was to promise her his protection? To use everything in his power to keep her safe? The way he even said so felt so…sincere.

She immediately focused her eyes on the road; not even daring to glance back at the fox lest he by any chance saw how hard she was blushing as her ears folded flat; burning hotter than ever before.

Before she could linger any more on just what a strange sensation was brewing inside her chest just thinking of what Nick could've REALLY been implying, she suddenly noticed something standing out on the side of the road. The closer they got, the sooner she realized what she was looking at was a group of three mammals, possibly in their late teens or early twenties; standing on the side of the road beside a motionless van sitting in the tall grass; all of their forepaws extended as if to hitchhike.

"Should we stop?" Nick suddenly asked. For a second, she hadn't been sure if he'd even noticed since it was now starting to get considerably dark and she'd yet to turn on the headlights.

"Yeah, maybe they need help," she said as she slowly pulled the truck to the side of the road before finally coming to a stop.

"Hey, you kids need any help out here?" she called out to them before they all started heading up to the truck.

"Oh, yes, that would be great. We've been stuck out here for the last several hours and couldn't get a signal out here. You're the first folks we came across that actually stopped," one of the hitchhikers, a young male sheepdog, explained with clear relief as his friends looked the bunny/fox duo over, as if deep in thought.

"Well, where are you all going? Do you have anything with you that you need to bring?" Judy asked.

"Well, we're not going that far. See, we're local. We just got back from a gig in Hareford before the van broke down. There's actually a diner about forty-five minutes down the road from here, and Scotty's big sister owns it. If you could take us there, we could use the landline to call a tow truck to get our van, and then she can take us the rest of the way home," the sheepdog explained, motioning to the other male mammal of his trio; a ferret, who gave a single awkward wave once his name was mentioned.

"Alright, that doesn't sound too bad. I was starting to get hungry anyway," Nick piped in as Judy nodded in agreement. She couldn't in good conscience just say no to giving these folks a helping paw, especially now that night was nearly here.

"Okay, we can take you. Obviously, there's no room in here. You don't mind sitting in the bed of the truck, do you?" she asked, slightly embarrassed that they didn't at least have a detachable roof to put over so their guests wouldn't have the wind blowing in their faces.

"You kidding It's pretty much how we used to get around before we bought this junk heap," the one female, a mink, said casually before the three all climbed into the bed of the truck. Without further ado, the now five mammals were on their way down the empty road once more.

"Thanks so much for your help. I'm Shaun, by the way. You already know Scottie, and this is Evie," the sheepdog said gratefully through the rear window before extending his paw to Nick and Judy.

"It's nice to meet you all; so are you kids' musicians or something?" Nick asked after shaking Shaun's paw while looking over the noticeably punk rock attire of the three.

"I guess the leather and torn jeans kinda give it away, huh? Yeah, we're just a small time band; usually playing locally or in the neighboring towns. Like I said, we were on our way back from Hareford just east of our town when the stupid radiator just went dead on us," Shaun explained; chuckling to himself as if it were just a good-natured joke. Nick couldn't help but share the amusement. It seemed like car troubles in the sticks went hand in hand with being a musician.

"Luckily my uncle's a mechanic, so once we get the van there, he can fix it up for us no charge. Would've been a lot less hassle if there were some cell towers out here," Scotty piped in as Evie immediately nodded in agreement.

"Well, look on the bright side. At least this way we not only get the van fixed, but Gwen will give us some free grub on the way. God knows that show didn't pay us enough for food," Shaun said with some clear disappointment in his words that left his friends and their two benefactors silent.

"So I'm sorry to sound nosey, but I've never seen you folks or this truck around these parts before. You're definitely not local, so what brings you two out here?" Evie soon asked, just so they wouldn't have to deal with that awkward silence anymore.

"Well, this is our first time actually passing through here. We're on our way to a place called Reynard's Grove," Judy answered as the three exchanged confused glances with each other.

"Reynard's Grove…huh, never heard of the place. Is it nearby? It can't be, right?" Shaun asked curiously.

"Unfortunately no; see, we're on our way from Zootopia to get there. It's a…it's for a personal matter," Judy explained as she glanced awkwardly at Nick, as if silently asking him what the right words would be.

"Wow, you're coming all the way from Zootopia? I never would've guessed big city folks would ever have a reason to come all the way out here," Scotty said, clearly impressed as his friends nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we've always wanted to go there and play; but unfortunately, jobs are hard to come by out here that haven't already been taken, so working up the money to get there is pretty hard. That's actually partially the reason why we started our band," Shaun said excitedly before his enthusiasm quickly died down.

"Well, I can understand how discouraging that can be, but I'll let you in on a little secret. My friend here may have been born and raised there, but I come from the countryside too. I'm actually from Bunnyburrow, and ever since I was a kid, folks were telling me I didn't belong there, but I made it there by never giving up, no matter how hard it got," Judy explained with a strong sense of hopefulness resonating in her tone that seemed to really affect the three youths as they all shared knowing glances with each other, as if Judy's encouragement was saying the same thing to all of them.

"Yeah, take her word for it, kids. This little bunny's living proof that being stubborn and single-minded gets you where you want to be," Nick chimed in with that same frustrating snarky grin as Judy gave him a playful jab in the arm.

"Wow, what exactly is it you do?" Evie asked as the three nearly crowded the rear window, like a bunch of small children being told an amazing story.

"Well, we're actually cops. Partners, in fact. The very first bunny and fox officers to be more specific," Judy stated with the utmost pride; a similar glowing smile on Nick's face too just being reminded what an untouchable record they both had just being where they were.

"Whoa…no way, NO WAY! You're Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde?! OH, I THOUGHT YOU TWO LOOKED FAMILIAR," Shaun suddenly exclaimed as though he were meeting bona fide movie stars in the fur; Scotty and Evie both letting out respective cries of excitement of their own.

"Oh, wow! I saw you two on TV months ago, back during that whole Night Howler thing all over the news! This is so cool! You two are like heroes to my folks," Scotty said ecstatically; almost shaking where he sat as though he were begging to call his parents and tell them who he was talking to right now.

"Yeah, me too! We all saw that ceremony when you were made a cop, Mr. Wilde! I thought it was so cool you and Ms. Hopps solved that whole mess, but then to see you become a cop, and YOU being the one to give him his badge, Ms. Hopps?! Oh, it was like something straight out of the movies! This is so awesome," Evie said rapidly; struggling to catch her words as Judy and Nick were both chuckling; both greatly amused and touched to know their exploits had indeed spread as far as they'd originally thought, and that they had some very enthusiastic fans.

"Yeah, I've thought the same thing too from time to time. But uh, could you please not call me 'Mr. Wilde'? I only just turned 30; I don't need to start feeling like I'm 47 just yet," Nick said gratefully before humbly requesting of the young mink while Judy gave him a cheeky grin now that she knew another way to get under his fur next time.

"Right, sorry, it's just…wow, this is just too cool for words. You two are seriously like our heroes," Evie said apologetically while still projecting that childlike excitement reflected in her bandmates.

"Well, we'll definitely have to start getting used to that, won't we, Carrots?" Nick asked sarcastically; just imagining what it was going to look like if anyone else they'd meet on this trip would be nearly as much of a die-hard fan of theirs.

"Just so long as you don't mind me using you as my shield if the crowd gets to be too much, OLD fox," Judy said with equal snark; earning a round of laughs from all five of them; especially from the teens now that they got to see how casual their heroes could be with each other.

"I gotta say, I'm surprised. I'd heard you two were made partners, but I wouldn't have expected to see you two together off the job," Shaun commented as the fox and bunny once again glanced knowingly at each other.

"Yeah, well, best friends make the best partners. We pretty much do everything together," Judy said with no hesitation while Scotty and Shaun shared surprised yet somewhat curious glances with each other while momentarily nodding their heads towards the duo.

"Wow, this is still so overwhelming, I don't know how to cope with it honestly. I mean, I get to meet the two coolest mammals ever by accident! My parents are never gonna believe this! I can't wait to tell mom Nick Wilde's actually way more handsome in real life," Evie was saying excitedly to herself; although it was easy for anyone else to hear.

Judy's ears instantly perked the instant the last syllable left the young mink's mouth; and as if she were losing all control of her body, she felt her paws clutching the steering wheel in an utter vice grip and her little mouth shut tight, nearly to the point she was about to start grinding her teeth. And her whole head felt burning hot as she couldn't muster up anything to answer that comment with.

Why was she feeling this way? It's not like Evie was actually talking directly to Nick, she was simply fangirl-ing out. But just to hear her express such thoughts about her partner was automatically making her tense up so much, and there was no pleasant feeling to be found. It was like something similar to anger, only much less volatile and just more…intense.

"Hey, Carrots? I can understand wanting to thrill the fans, but do you think you'll let off on the gas any time soon?" Nick suddenly asked with a clear trace of nervousness in his words as Judy suddenly realized she was absolutely flooring it and they were nearly going 110 miles per hour.

"Oh, geez, sorry! I-I guess I kinda lost track of myself," Judy immediately apologized as she brought them to a slightly less life-threatening speed as their fans let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Wow, that was a close one, Carrots. I was starting to think I'd have to call Flash and tell him his record speed got broken," Nick said with a heavy sigh as Judy bowed her head in embarrassment and confusion.

She'd NEVER felt like that before. It was so spontaneous, so out of nowhere and meaningless. All Evie had said was that Nick was handsome. By all rights, she should've been teasing her partner. He certainly would've if the roles had been reversed. So then why did she start feeling so…disrespected or…even threatened by those harmless little words?

She didn't have long to dwell on it before she suddenly noticed a clearing on the side of the road, illuminated by a solitary diner standing out among the wide open landscape. The three kids soon gave a signifying wrap on the roof before she pulled into the parking lot and they all climbed out, with her and Nick soon following suit.

Stepping inside, the place was nice and simple, even having something of a quaint at-home kind of feel. At least it would've felt more like that if the place weren't entirely empty. Of course, in a place as remote as this, the fox and bunny shouldn't have been surprised.

"Well, well, about to call it in for the night and look who shows up," a female voice suddenly called out from inside the kitchen; instantly grabbing all five mammals' attention as a female ferret suddenly stepped out to meet them; wearing obvious waitress garb underneath a trench coat.

"Hey there, sis. Yeah, sorry about that; but something really last second kinda came up," Scotty immediately greeted what had to be his big sister as she just let out an aggravated sigh.

"Let me guess, that pile of scrap you all call a van broke down? You know Uncle Rich won't let you hear the end of it after all the times he offered to teach you how to fix it up and you refused," she chastised her brother as he just bowed his head in childish embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I tried to contact you and him, but we couldn't get any signal out there. We're lucky these two came and helped us get here," Scotty explained before motioning to Nick and Judy; both of whom were just standing at the doorway awkwardly now that they had to watch their little family drama.

"Really? Well, I'm grateful good folks like you came along. My baby brother may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about him," the sister ferret said gratefully before playfully scratching her even more embarrassed brother's head; earning amused chuckles from his friends.

"It's no trouble at all, ma'am. We couldn't just let three kids stay stranded on the side of the road," Nick said casually with his paws in his pockets; almost as if he were deliberately trying to act all cool; earning a roll of the eyes from Judy.

"Well, I appreciate that. Good mammals like you are getting harder to come by these days. Speaking of which, I don't recall ever seeing you here before, yet you somehow look familiar," she went on further; not even noticing the newly sparked looks of excitement from the three teens.

"You're not gonna believe it, Gwen. These are Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps! You know, from the TV not too long ago?" Scotty wasted no time saying with that same childlike excitement as Gwen instantly went wide-eyed, as if it too had suddenly dawned on her.

"Oh my goodness, it IS you! Oh, this is amazing; I've never had real heroes in my diner before! Please, both of you make yourselves comfortable! Not to be rude, but you both look pretty famished. Why don't I make something for you to help wipe that fatigue away," Gwen instantly offered as Judy and Nick both couldn't help but slightly chuckle awkwardly to themselves.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that, miss. It looks like you're already closing up; we wouldn't want to impose," Judy tried to explain humbly, only for Gwen to immediately shake her head as she surprisingly nudged the two into the nearest booth; her excited grin almost blinding in how bright it was.

"Oh, you're not imposing at all. It's the least I can do for two heroes like yourselves. You may not know it, but you've been a real inspiration for a lot of animals in these parts. Actually, come to think of it, what brings you two all the way out here?" Gwen asked; her words flying by rapidly as she couldn't hope to contain her excitement; not even noticing how Nick and Judy were struggling to get a word in edgewise.

"They said they're out on some kinda personal business. They're looking for some place called Reynard's Grove," Shaun piped in; Gwen's eyes instantly widening as if a metaphorical lightbulb just went off in her head.

"I know the place; one of my regulars delivers to and from there. Well, I'm sure you don't want little old me prying in on your personal affairs. I can at least assure you you're on the right track, as far as I know from what he's told me on how to get there. You won't even need to worry about turning until you at least get to Wolvington about eight hours west of here," Gwen said; the partners expressions becoming much more affirmed and hopeful at the news and at least where to look out for now.

"Hey, Gwen, I'm real sorry to interrupt, but my parents are royally going to freak if I'm not back before midnight," Evie suddenly said in a nervous whisper; snapping Scotty's sister out of her star-struck reverie.

"Oh, of course, Evelyn. I can drive all three of you home. Oh, but what about you two? Zootopia's an eleven hour drive from here; you must've been on the road since the crack of dawn. I can't in good conscience just let you keep going tonight," Gwen suddenly realized as Nick nodded in agreement before Judy let out a tiny yawn before covering her mouth in embarrassment.

"I personally second that notion. Carrots here has been driving non-stop since last night, and I think the last thing both of us want is to wind up like your brother's van," Nick quipped amusedly as his partner couldn't even muster up the strength to glare at him. Now that they'd had a chance to stop, she was finally feeling just how exhausted she was.

"Well, unfortunately me and Scotty's house doesn't have the room for guests thanks to mom and dad and the rest of our siblings; and there isn't a motel for miles. But…I know this may sound way too unorthodox, but I can have the two of you settle for the night in my office in the back. I know it doesn't sound like…well, much of anything at all, but trust me it's a lot more comfortable than it sounds," Gwen offered; earning some expectedly confused and surprised looks from Judy and Nick.

"You're right, that DOES sound way too unorthodox. I've been around, but I've never actually heard something like that before. But hey, I'm not going to say no when someone offers me a place for the night. Thank you," Nick said with sincere gratitude as Judy did likewise; Gwen practically beaming to know she was actually being helpful to her and the kid' mutual heroes.

"Okay, then I've got a lot of moving around to do fast. Let me at least get you two some coffee, drop these three off at home so they can call my uncle for the van; and then I can bring back some pillows and blankets for you two and at least make you some dinner so you don't have to go to bed starving;" Gwen hastily explained as she was already rushing for the nearby coffee pot like a fire had been lit under her tail.

"We really can't thank you enough for this, Gwen. I really hate to force all this on you so suddenly," Judy apologized as she gratefully accepted the coffee Gwen offered her while Nick did the same; practically relishing in the aroma that seemed to wake him right back up.

"Please, don't feel the need to apologize, Miss Hopps. I should be the one apologizing I can't do anything better for you. The least I can do is all this and at least lock up so you don't have to feel vulnerable or anything like that tonight," Gwen said humbly before motioning for Shaun, Scotty and Evie to follow her out while Judy and Nick gave them all a friendly series of goodbyes.

"It was really nice meeting you kids. Don't let something like your van get you down. You can accomplish anything you set your minds to if you just work hard for it," Judy called out to them as they all gave her a nod of understanding; an inspired gleam shared in all their eyes.

"Thank you for all your help, Officers Hopps and Wilde. We'll never forget this as long as we live," Shaun answered excitedly as he and Scotty quickly stepped out the door.

"Please feel free to drop by any time, Mr. Wilde. We'll always be happy to see you," Evie called out to Nick right before she slipped out the door. In that fraction of a second, just as Nick was about to let out yet another amused laugh to himself at how much he felt like a legitimate celebrity, the cardboard cup of coffee in Judy's tiny paw suddenly exploded; spilling the warm brown liquid all over the table and actually causing Nick and Judy both to jump in surprise.

"Wow, Carrots; either these cups are flimsier than we thought, or those reserves of little bunny strength are really starting to add up," Nick said in shock as Judy couldn't even figure out what to say. It'd happened again. That flare of intensity flaring up at Evie's words to Nick; making her feel like somehow something important to her only was being threatened and she'd felt the instinctual need to intervene. Now this was greatly concerning her as she then noticed the equally surprised look in Nick's emerald gaze.

"Y-yeah. I guess I don't know my own strength anymore," she finally managed to say; giggling awkwardly as she immediately avoided eye contact with her partner lest he start asking much more unpleasant questions. She just couldn't wrap her head around what was going on with her; and if not knowing something concerning about Nick was torture for her, not knowing something going on with herself was somehow a hundred times worse.

 **Later that night…**

Just as Gwen had said, she came back much sooner than the two cops had expected, with spare pillows and comfy-looking blankets in tow. And much like she'd said, the manager's office they were being offered was surprisingly roomier than they'd expected, with a pleasantly soft-looking couch to boot.

They'd finally managed to get some surprisingly good food for the night; neither of them really knowing how to explain the spilled coffee at their old booth when Gwen pointed it out, but thankfully she didn't seem too upset at all. Regardless, Judy still maintained no eye contact with her partner once it had been brought up, but all the while she could always feel his eyes watching her.

By the time they'd finally eaten their fill and were ready to call it a night once Gwen had locked up, all either of them wanted was to just call it a night, both of them particularly anxious to cover as much ground as possible tomorrow.

"Well, I'd say we really caught a lucky break tonight, wouldn't you?" Nick asked rhetorically as he and Judy spread the covers over the sofa.

"Actually, yes I would. I didn't wanna say so, but I'm pretty sure I actually WOULD have passed out sooner or later if we hadn't stopped for those kids," Judy reluctantly admitted; already able to feel the satisfied smirk on Nick's face to know he was actually right.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. But hey, even if they hadn't been there, we still would've come across this place regardless. Surely you would've had the good sense to stop then," he tried to suggest.

"Oh, I don't know. I am living proof of being stubborn and single-minded, remember?" she asked with a sly smirk as her partner just rolled his eyes in mock defeat.

"Okay, you got me there. But don't try to actually make it a habit, Carrots. While I make fun, I actually WOULD like to ultimately be wrong about you bunnies being bad drivers," he relented before finally collapsing with a contented sigh on the far side of the bed.

"I'll try to keep that in mind, dumb fox," Judy said in amusement before climbing in beside him; instinctively staring up at the ceiling with anxiousness for tomorrow to come already.

"Hey, Carrots, if you're not already asleep, can I ask you something?" Nick asked with a soft whisper after the first few sluggish minutes of silence.

"You seriously think you need to ask for permission? You'll ask no matter what I say," Judy said matter-of-factly as she felt Nick roll onto his side so he was looking right at her.

"Very true. Okay, well then here goes. Would you mind explaining yourself?" he suddenly asked; prompting Judy to glance at him in honest confusion.

"You've been acting weird for the last couple hours. That whole thing with you flooring it with the truck out of nowhere; not to mention that exploding coffee cup. I'm not as dumb as you like to pretend I am, Carrots; those weren't just freak incidents," Nick explained; no sarcasm evident as Judy felt herself shrinking under his attentive gaze.

"What are you trying to suggest, Nick?" she hesitantly asked, although pretty confident she knew exactly what it was.

"Something's really bothering you. I like to think I know you well enough by now to tell these things. If you're persistent enough to make me share that with you, you can at least grant me the same courtesy," he stated bluntly as his partner finally rolled onto her side to give him her full attention as well.

"What makes you think something is bothering me?" she hesitantly asked in a desperate attempt to play ignorant. The last thing she needed was to be kept up all night worrying about those freaky emotions she'd felt both those times.

"Oh, please, Carrots. You're the overly emotional one in this duo, not the emotionally DENSE or distant one. You couldn't keep your real feelings hidden if you tried. But if you insist on proof, I noticed both those times you looked unusually tense, and there was this kind of…I don't know, depth in your eyes I never saw before. I know it's not much to go on, but I think it's enough to assume there's SOMETHING of substance going on with you," Nick explained with surprisingly precise and professional seriousness as Judy felt nearly all willingness to defend herself quickly fade.

"You sound pretty confident about that, clever fox. Maybe YOU would be better suited as a therapist if you're so sure about all that," she attempted to joke; only to immediately feel herself become that much more vulnerable as Nick's expression didn't change at all.

"Okay, I'll make it a little simpler then. Both times, it was after that mink Evie said something to me, whether it was calling me handsome or beckoning me to come by and saying how happy she'd be to see me specifically. I'm not ignorant of what goes on around me enough to not notice the timing," he finally got to the heart of the matter as Judy nearly felt herself recoil now knowing that there was no way for her to shoot down his reasoning now. But how the heck could she explain herself to him when she couldn't even make sense of what was going on herself?

"S-so what, is that it? You think she's the cause of it? W-why would I care that much about what some female kid we barely even know has to say about you? Why should I care if she says how handsome you are, or invites you to visit and talks to you like she's so familiar with you and," Judy began to explain; losing track of herself the further she went and not even realizing what was now coming out of her mouth as her voice got lower with bitterness before she suddenly felt Nick's paw over her mouth; a shocking look of realization in his green eyes now.

"Oh…my…God. It all makes sense now. Carrots…oh, you are not…you are NOT JEALOUS, are you?" he finally asked with amazement; and all at once Judy nearly felt like she'd been struck by lightning the instant the J-word exited the brightly grinning fox's muzzle.

"What?! Are you insane?! Of course I'm not! Why on Earth would you even suggest that?!" she asked within a fraction of a second as she practically scrambled back into a corner of the sofa; too embarrassed to look her partner in the eyes once more.

"Oh my God, you ARE! I can't believe it! You, Carrots, THE Carrots, are actually JEALOUS! Oh, this is too rich! I-I can't believe this! I-I think I'm gonna die," Nick burst out in uncontainable laughter as he nearly rolled off the sofa; busting a gut laughing in the utmost amusement as Judy nearly felt the need to pull her ears over her eyes and try to pretend this wasn't happening, but his persistent laughter was echoing in her head at this point.

There was no way she could lie to herself and deny it any longer. Thinking about everything she felt, it all made perfect sense. It was yet another emotion she'd never felt before this day, but now that it was put into perspective, she had no choice but to accept it for what it was. Judy Hopps was jealous whenever Evie tried getting familiar with Nick, whether that was her intention or not.

"Aww, you don't have to be embarrassed, Carrots. Everybody gets jealous sooner or later. You're just a late bloomer. Besides, if we're being honest here, I think it's REAL CUTE that you're actually jealous over something so harmless," Nick said nice and slowly; the sheer amount of restrained amusement dripping from his words nearly making Judy shiver; her body temperature immediately flaring up the instant that forbidden C-word escaped his mouth. He was getting way too much enjoyment out of this, and she was going to end it right here before she'd die of embarrassment.

"DON'T CALL ME JEALOUS, DUMB FOX! DO IT AGAIN AND SO HELP ME, I'LL MAKE YOU WALK THE REST OF THE WAY THERE AND BACK! I AM NOT JEALOUS, SO JUST DROP IT!" she immediately exploded in humiliated frustration as Nick visibly recoiled back that the little bunny could have such a volatile outburst; especially from anything OTHER than anger like a normal mammal.

"Okay, okay, you've made your point, Carrots. I'll drop it. Just calm down before you give yourself a heart attack," Nick said in an attempt to calm his now-panting partner once she'd finally let all her frustrated embarrassment out. Thankfully, she managed to recollect herself before too long.

"Alright then. Now let's just get to sleep and forget we ever had this conversation, okay?" she suggested, although it was clearly meant more as a command as she crawled under the covers and tried to get herself resituated comfortably.

"Okay, but, uh…aren't you forgetting something, Carrots?" Nick hesitantly asked as one of Judy's ears raised up to signify he had her attention.

"What do you mean?" she asked with an exhausted yawn, honestly having no clue where her persistent fox was coming from now.

"Well, usually you scold me about how it's not okay for other animals to call bunnies cute, remember? Because, technically I called you cute just a minute ago?" he tried to explain; his voice lowering as if he were prepping himself for her temporarily forgotten chastising.

"Oh. Well, I've been thinking about it, and considering we pretty much spend all our time together, and especially considering you're always going to look for new ways to push my buttons when we're alone, I figured I'm willing to at least make an exception in your case on that little detail," Judy wasted no time to say; although silently wishing she could see the no doubt gobsmacked look on Nick's face.

"Wait…you're not being serious, are you? You're…y-you're SERIOUSLY telling me right now that…it's okay if I call YOU cute from now on?" Nick asked, mainly just to make sure he wasn't hearing things. Oh, how she'd come to love hearing Nick when his expectations were turned on their head and he sounded so lost and confused, almost like a little kid.

"Don't make a daily habit out of it, then yes, yes I am," she confirmed; smiling in immense satisfaction to herself as Nick was by now struggling to even figure out how to feel about this. He'd become so accustomed to that being one of the quickest ways to get a reaction out of his little bunny, and now that had been taken away from him. He should've been miffed about that, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he should've felt honored that she was actually giving him permission; especially considering their two species ancient animosity towards each other.

"Alright, just gotta ask one more time. Are you absolutely SURE about this?" he reluctantly asked as Judy still kept her back turned on him; only slightly shifting back into a comfortable position.

"Yes, Nick, I'm SURE. Just take it for what it's worth before I change my mind," she stated bluntly; betraying the still greatly satisfied grin on her face. Nick didn't dare try to test her further for once before he hesitantly crawled underneath the sheets beside her; leaving them both in silence.

Inside, Judy was torn. It was always an unspoken rule among bunnies that 'cute' was THEIR word, and that had for the most part been understood by most other mammals. Sure, some like Clawhauser simply didn't know any better, and then there were sly mammals like Nick who knew full well how off-limits it was but chose to break that rule anyway for their own amusement. She knew that was simply his way, not just with her. But at the same time, she felt…much more at ease giving her partner this special right that probably no other bunny had ever given to a mammal of a different species before.

Was it to help strengthen the bond they had, as if it would somehow protect them if another female tried to get too familiar with her partner? Was it simply to make their conversations with each other just a little less restrained or under some kind of rules? She honestly couldn't decide that for herself.

But that didn't change the fact that she still felt a very pleasant kind of satisfaction making this big decision. A satisfaction that made this one of the surprisingly most pleasant nights she'd ever slept alongside her best friend and partner.

 **And there it is, folks, Chapter 4! It really took a while to really put this together the way I had envisioned it while trying not sacrifice a good sense of pacing; hence why I must apologize again for interrupting for the sake of suggesting one music track to you all in the hopes it would somehow add to the present atmosphere.**

 **Anyway, here it is and I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as you have everything beforehand. I can't wait to hear all your thoughts.**


	5. Helping the Locals

**Once more, your unanimous feedback has blown me away. Even when I have doubts about aspects of the chapters, it seems none of you seem to mind. And if the readers enjoy it, isn't that ultimately what matters most?**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 5, and we are slowly but surely reaching our ultimate destination alongside our favorite fox and bunny cops. Who knows what else will happen out on the open road of this unvisited part of the world? You'll just have to read and see. I hope you all enjoy it as much as everything before.**

 **Zootopia and its characters are property of Disney, not me.**

"So everything's going alright out there, hon?" Stu asked from the other end as Judy watched Nick standing at their truck attentively from the payphone.

"Yeah, so far everything's going great, Dad. We've been making some fantastic progress so far; getting an early start and pretty much running until nightfall, you know?" Judy confirmed as she took in the small town charm of downtown Wolvington.

It was just like that nice ferret Gwen had said yesterday; a solid eight hour drive in the same westward direction until they'd reach this town, and afterwards they'd have to head north.

Luckily once the two had woken up in her office, she was gracious enough to give them yet another free meal, courtesy of a huge fan as she liked to call it, and had even convinced her mechanic uncle to part with a single canister of gasoline to help them on their way. Needless to say, Judy felt utterly overwhelmed by the generosity of a stranger, but she wasn't one to just shun or refuse what others offered when it was clearly out of their own goodwill.

Nick of course had felt considerably guilty that they couldn't have given a proper goodbye to those three kids from last night; but Judy had been very quick to share the sentiment that they'd probably cross paths again someday, preferring not to dwell on her little…emotional self-discovery regarding Nick and other female mammals last night.

She was still reeling from that feeling even now. It almost felt like her legs were reduced to jelly whenever she dwelt on it. She couldn't honestly believe that she was actually jealous when that mink Evie had been chatting up her partner so casually. It almost gave her an instinctual drive to protect him from the interference or influence of others, almost as if she felt she was the only mammal to have the right to know him as well as she did. It always left her with that disheartening sensation of her ears burning hot with embarrassment and mortification whenever she thought about it; and God knew she wasn't going to bring it up now that she'd finally had a chance to keep her family posted.

Right now, they were just going to enjoy the fact they'd had a chance for a breather and some more food and gas, and had nothing to worry about but the road ahead. Or at least that's what she was hoping most would be the case.

"Well, I'm just glad you're both safe and sound right now, Jude. So how exactly is Nick doing right now? I know how serious you said it was when you dropped by, but we still think it's only right to ask," Stu asked as Judy instinctively glanced to her partner once more. She could just imagine Bonnie and her siblings were crowding around behind Stu in the hopes of being able to talk as well; but the important thing was that at least they cared enough to ask about her best friend since this was all ultimately for him.

"I won't lie; at first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to convince him to go along on this. Learning about his mother leaving had really hurt him even worse than I thought. So yeah, it was hard at first convincing him to come along, but right now he seems to be in much better spirits. I think the fact this trip is going to take as long as it is is giving him some real time to think about how he wants to approach it when we finally get there. I honestly can't imagine how hard that must be," Judy admitted as she could already recall the deeply contemplative glimmer in the fox's eyes during the more silent stretches of their trip today. She could only hope there would come a point he'd ask for her input. There was no telling what was going through his head when he wasn't talking, and the last thing she wanted was for him to beat himself down into that unbearable broken husk of a fox she'd seen him as yesterday morning.

"Well that's very understandable. It sounds like he's really going through a lot right now. That's why we're so proud of you for going this far for him, Judy. He may not seem like the type to openly admit it, but it really sounds like he needs you to be there for him now more than ever," Bonnie managed to pipe in as Judy silently nodded in agreement. She couldn't imagine what it must've felt like for poor Nick when this had all initially come about, but she knew if she were in half as much pain as he'd been in, she'd hate to be completely alone with nobody to at least express her feelings and doubts to. That's why she wasn't going to let anything stop them after they'd come this far. That fox had his times of being overwhelmingly stubborn, but if such a time were ever to come, she wasn't going to let it stop her. This was for the sake of her partner, her best friend, and even if he was too insecure to see it through to the end, she was going to carry him that whole way if she had to.

"I know; you're right, Mom. Listen, I'd love to keep talking, but we got the truck refilled so we're gonna have to get moving. I'll call you whenever we make our next stop," Judy said in agreement before hastily bidding her family goodbye and hanging up the payphone. The little bunny took a deep breath to steel herself before stepping out the doors; ready to get them going once more before Nick had any semblance of a risk of changing his mind, no matter how positive he may have looked on the outside.

"Judging by the smile, I'm guessing daddy isn't asking for his wheels back yet?" Nick asked sarcastically the instant he saw the optimistic grin Judy was wearing as she made a beeline for the truck like a bunny with a mission.

"Even if he was, there's no way I'm turning back now. If he needs to, he can ask the neighbors or Gideon for help. This is OUR ride now," she stated with no visible regret as she climbed into the driver's seat; with Nick following suit with surprising enthusiasm, almost as if her rebellious bravado was contagious for him.

"Listen to you, Carrots. Every day you're talking more and more like a REAL city animal; no cares or worries for others to be seen. I'm so proud of you," he teased before Judy stomped on the gas and sent them rocketing forward before she immediately came to her senses and slowed them down just short of plowing into another car. But right after, they were on their merry way once more, north to parts yet unknown.

"You know, for the longest time, I thought the world only consisted of Bunnyburrow and Zootopia. I never would've guessed there was so much else to see, let alone how beautiful it is," Judy commented a few minutes after they'd left the Wolvington town limits. The once featureless rolling grasslands had now given way to a slightly wooded area with pleasant-looking valleys of a few handfuls of houses surrounded by wide plains of grass and the occasional small lake or pond visible through the intermittent patches of trees.

"Yeah, it really is something else. Maybe once we're old and decrepit we can see about retiring here. Think about it, nothing but the sounds of nature and your groans to my jokes to keep us entertained. It'd be great," Nick agreed before immediately retracting to another of his lousy jokes; smiling at Judy's expected groan at his irresistible need to spoil the more serene moments of their little road trip.

Albeit despite her groans to his attempts at humor, Judy once more found her mind wandering and her ears and cheeks turning warmer by the second as she dwelt on the idea of her and her partner retiring out here together.

She'd never once given thought to the idea of what to do once she was no longer in the right condition to continue as a police officer. Yes, she'd given thought to personal things like relationships and having a potential family of her own; especially more often in recent memory whenever she was alone, but she'd never really thought about something as permanent as retirement.

As much as she didn't want to admit the darker side to a career of law enforcement, she couldn't deny the statistics that mammals that chose such dangerous work more often than not didn't have the luxury to think about making it to retirement; that was just a sad fact of life. But the hypotheticals were always something to consider. If she and Nick did manage to make it all the way to the point they could retire, she couldn't deny she found the idea vey enticing. Being alone in her prime was sad enough; but the idea of having no one around at such a far point in her life seemed nothing short of unbearable. And who else could lighten the mood of such a dreary thought than good old Nick Wilde?

After they'd gone through so much together, and all the potential things they could go through still; the idea of growing older and enjoying the freedom the rest of their lives could grant them together seemed absolutely perfect to Judy Hopps; almost poetic and just naturally right in a sense; so much so to the point she couldn't resist the satisfied smile once more spreading across her lips punctuated by a single emotional tear beginning to well in her eye at the thought.

"Yeah, it really would, wouldn't it, dumb fox? You won't hear any objections from me. It's just like you once said before: if you were to leave, who else would make sure I don't die of boredom by myself?" she mused with a hint of nostalgia in her voice; completely ignorant of the look of genuine surprise on Nick's face to hear her bring up something from so long ago.

"Wow…Carrots, you actually remembered?" he asked softly as she shot him a cocky sideways smile like she always did when she saw she'd caught him by surprise.

"Of course I did. How could I forget possibly the sweetest thing you ever said to me?" she asked sarcastically as Nick seemed to be at a loss for words; choosing instead to gaze out his window; his ears folded down with bashfulness as he felt his whole face going hot. Back when he'd said that last year while she was laid up in the hospital, it was just his way of keeping the sense of humor going while he knew she was dying to just get out. He hadn't honestly expected her to latch onto that this far forward. He honestly couldn't help but feel…touched in a way by the fact that she did.

"Anything on your mind you feel like sharing?" Judy suddenly asked; bringing Nick back to reality as he saw her gazing at him with what he could only call anticipation.

"Oh, nothing really different, just kinda spacing out here and there," he tried to brush it off as he continued to stare out the window; not even realizing that was pretty much his silent signal to her that everything he'd said was a lie.

"It's about…well, what happens once we get there, isn't it?" she hesitantly asked; already knowing the answer once she saw Nick's ears slightly perk up. She'd almost feel proud that she was getting so good at reading her partner if it weren't regarding something so seriously personal.

"If I tell you, will you please promise to stay out of my head from now on, Carrots?" he asked as Judy immediately nodded in agreement before he let out another heavy sigh.

"Well, yes, it is about that. It's just…the more I think about it, the more I really realize just how long it's been since we spoke to each other, how long it's been since we last saw each other. I mean, assuming she even did see me on the TV before; finally meeting face to face again is something else entirely. And no matter how I think of going about it once we actually get there…I'm actually at a loss of just what to say to her. I mean, if you go for as long as I have without seeing your only parent, 'hi, how are ya, I've missed you' just doesn't seem to remotely cut it, you know?" Nick proceeded to explain with great reluctance; his nervousness and insecurity over the whole thing making itself more and more noticeable as he looked to be really discouraged the further he went.

"Do you think it's possible that at least seeing you face-to-face may be able to help alleviate any of the tension? I mean, if you really haven't seen each other in as long as you're saying you haven't, surely she must miss you enough that she'd at least be remotely happy to see you. Maybe that could help you figure out where to start if you think of it that way," Judy tried to suggest; trying her best to sound as hopeful and optimistic as possible for Nick's sake as he cracked only the slightest smirk at what she was trying to do.

"Maybe it's just that same old cynical fox in me. I guess I just don't imagine others letting go of grudges or hard feelings as easily as you do," Nick lamented as he lay back in his seat, now wishing to just let go of the subject while Judy's ears fell in discouragement. There was no way for her to really know just on how much of a bad note Nick had cut himself off from his mother, so she knew she honestly had no right to try and offer words of encouragement or advice. But that obviously didn't stop her from at least trying to brighten her partner's mood somehow.

"Yeah, maybe that is just my natural willingness to assume the best in others, and maybe that is overly naïve of me. But we shouldn't go into this thing with our heads held low to the dirt, right? If we just assume the worst, that can't lead to anything—hello, what's this?" she started to reassure her friend before her eyes suddenly caught an unexpected backup of traffic up ahead.

It looked to stretch for a good ways, but nothing inconceivable; and from what she could see in the distance, there was no sign of an accident or the traffic being at an absolute standstill.

"Figures; no matter how far out in the sticks you go, you can never escape the traffic jams," Nick bemoaned with that same sarcastic smirk as Judy rested her head on the steering wheel; having to accept they'd be really held back by this for a good while.

It was about twenty minutes of moving forward a few feet at a time before Judy suddenly noticed a solitary ram in a sheriff's department uniform stepping up to each vehicle; speaking silently to each occupant before scratching something down in a notepad before continuing closer. It wasn't long before she quickly rolled down the window as he stepped up to her truck.

"Good afternoon, officer. Is everything alright" she greeted her fellow law enforcer as politely as possible; only greeted with an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds as the single ram seemed to be closely looking over everything from the driver to everything else in the truck; his eyes especially focusing on Nick; causing her partner to squirm very uncomfortably where he sat.

"License and registration, please," the ram said bluntly as Judy quickly forked over her drivers' license and registration.

"I know it says 'Stuart Hopps' on there. We're just borrowing this truck for our trip," she hastily explained once she saw he was looking over the registration and her license very attentively. He still remained silent before slowly giving the documents back.

"Are the….two of you just passing through here? You don't look familiar," the ram asked; some clear lack of friendliness in his tone once he acknowledged Nick's presence, which both mammals instantly picked up on.

"Yeah, we're on our way up north. We're coming from Zootopia, actually," Judy said; still trying to sound as polite and friendly as ever while still acknowledging the momentary glances toward Nick the ram kept giving. He proceeded to presumably write down what she'd just said; giving her a second to notice the name 'Schaffer' written on his badge; just her natural cop's intuition instinct kicking in.

"Have you perhaps come across anything unusual on your way here today?" the ram named Schaffer finally asked unexpectedly as he tucked the notepad into his back pocket; still maintaining that strict no-nonsense tone. It was all too clear he did not like either of the city mammals just by looking at them.

"No, we've pretty much been on the road all day. Is something the matter, officer? This traffic stop seems pretty out of nowhere all the way out here," Nick piped in; unexpectedly earning a very spiteful glare from the ram before Judy could even react.

"I don't remember asking you one thing, fox! Learn to speak when you're actually being spoken to," the ram said with such incredible venom; it nearly made Judy and Nick's fur bristle. All at once the little bunny had half a mind to step in and tell her fellow law officer off; but she still knew they were outside the ZPD's protective area of influence, so acting out wasn't going to help either of them. She still felt her grip on the steering wheel growing vice-like very quickly as she attempted to keep her polite demeanor going.

"My friend is telling the truth, officer. We haven't seen anything or anyone on our way here," she stated with no hesitation or falter as she and the ram locked eyes for a few very tense seconds that left Nick feeling considerably on edge.

Without a word, Schaffer suddenly got down onto all fours and pulled out a small flashlight before quickly poking it underneath the truck; giving the undercarriage a good look over before quickly getting back up; his demeanor considerably less aggressive.

"Alright, just checking to make sure. On your way now," Schaffer said dismissively; Judy almost hitting the gas too eagerly as they quickly took off further down the road. She obviously had wanted to get as far away as possible before she'd lose sight of her better judgment and potentially hit that ram for how disrespectful he'd been. It was a good several miles of nearly hitting 80 on the speedometer before she'd finally managed to calm herself down; gasping for breath before finally pulling the truck to the side of the road and killing the engine.

"Wow. Are you feeling okay, Carrots?" Nick finally willed the courage to ask once he realized she wasn't flooring it anymore. The instant the last syllable left his mouth, the little bunny shot him a glare that nearly turned his blood to ice.

"What do you think?! Of course I'm not okay! I-I just…I can't…I don't understand how you're so calm right now. Could you believe the nerve of that ram back there? How is it he openly disrespects you and you can just sit there like nothing happened, and yet I still feel like I wanna go back there and kick him right in his face?" Judy seethed as Nick felt himself slowly recoiling back into the corner. Genuinely angry Judy was definitely a very terrifying thing to behold.

"Well, I can't speak for why you suddenly feel this overwhelming urge to kick other mammals in the face, but I at least know I'm not angry because I choose not to be. Did you forget I pretty much put up with talk like that most of my life? And keep in mind that was all back in the big city, Fluff. Out here in the sticks; of course a prey cop is gonna act like that, they don't know any better. Either that or they do know better but they just choose to keep hating predators anyway. That's their choice, it's no fur off my hide," Nick managed to calmly and cohesively explain as Judy kept trying to take deep breaths to calm her nerves. She couldn't deny everything the fox had said was right. Here she was acting like this was some unwarranted act of bigotry, but the truth was that for being this far out in the middle of nowhere, this kind of behavior was something she should've expected to see at some point. And of course Nick had put up with this kind of thing more times than she could imagine. For someone who'd come to control their emotions as professionally as he did, it would've been more surprising if he DID let that stupid ram get to him so easily.

"Do you still wanna take some time to calm down, Carrots? I'd prefer not to get another taste of your hair-trigger road rage anytime soon," Nick asked after a few minutes of not-so awkward silence once Judy had finally managed to fully calm herself back down.

"No, that's okay. The longer we sit around waiting, the more risk we have of going way too late into the night without finding a motel or something; and I just realized I forgot to pack sleeping bags just in case," Judy said with a slight shake of the head; grinning with embarrassment once she finally realized her biggest mistake in preparation.

"Good thing we're not actually out on a camping trip. I'll bet you'd forget the whole tent," Nick humored her with a teasing chuckle; prompting his bunny partner to start laughing in agreement with him.

However, their laughter was suddenly cut short when their ears both picked up the sound of a twig snapping very close by. They both quickly turned to the right of the truck to the edge of the woods just in time to see another two mammals slowly climbing up out of the tree branches and underbrush.

Nick and Judy were met with the sight of a tall dark grey teenage-looking wolf accompanied by a tiny teenage-looking white lamb; both dressed in clothes that had clearly seen some recent wear-and-tear. The two looked to be utterly exhausted.

Judy and Nick both exchanged silent but knowing glances with each other; as if silently communicating what they should do before they both nodded in quiet agreement. These kids looked to be in a rough spot; there was no way they could just ignore them.

"Hey, do you two need some help?" Nick called out to them from his window. The two strangers both looked at them attentively before warily approaching them; joining hoof and paw the whole way.

""Where are you folks headed?" the young wolf struggled to ask; sounding clearly dehydrated to boot.

"We're headed up north for Reynard's Grove," Judy answered as the wolf and lamb both exchanged similar silent glances with each other for a split second.

"Really? That's where we're headed too. Are you sure you don't mind us tagging along?" the wolf asked nervously; the lamb almost instinctively hiding behind him as if she were intimidated by these two strange mammals.

"Of course not. There's no telling how far the next town is, so we can't just leave you kids all alone out here. Feel free, climb on in," Judy invited; and seeing no reason to argue, the two hastily climbed into the bed of the truck before they were soon rolling further down the road once more.

"Wow, two days and twice we pick up hitchhikers. That's gotta be some kind of record," Nick mused as Judy gave him a semi-amused smirk before glancing to their two new companions in the rear view mirror.

"So I hope you don't mind me asking, but what were you kids doing out in the middle of the woods? No offense, but you look a little roughed up," Judy asked as the two teens took note of their slightly torn attire.

"We've been backpacking for the last couple weeks, just wanting to see as much of the country as possible. But we got a bit lost along the way and have been trying to find the road since then. Thank goodness you folks were there," the wolf explained as Judy slowly nodded her head attentively; not noticing the inquisitive look in Nick's eyes as he too was looking them over in the mirror. He didn't see any backpacks on them or lying in the truck bed.

"So what are your names?" the fox asked; once again earning some silent but clearly worried glances shared between the two strangers.

"I'm Wilfred Ulver, and this is Shannon S-Saunders," the wolf introduced themselves as the timid lamb gave a barely noticeable little wave.

"Where are the two of you from? If you've been backpacking for the last few weeks, you must be from pretty far off," Nick continued to ask; disguising his initial suspicion with casual friendliness that thankfully seemed to be slowly but surely lowering the two's guards.

"We're from a ways back east. Small town called Herder's Glen; pretty much nothing there to convince us to stay so we just decided to go out and see the world the old-fashioned way," Wilfred explained with a more noticeable sense of confidence and calm as Nick slowly nodded his head in acknowledgment before turning his attention to the little lamb Shannon.

"You're a pretty quiet one. You don't have to be scared of me if that's what the problem is. I don't even like lamb," Nick addressed her directly; a mischievous grin spreading on his muzzle before once again being silenced by one of Judy's less serious jabs to his arm.

"Just ignore my friend, Shannon. He likes to THINK he can make anybody laugh with his so-called jokes," Judy tried to reassure their female hitchhiker; still obviously shaken enough by their previous encounter with that ram to not want to risk any further negative impressions from Nick on the possible locals.

But instead, Judy's ears instantly picked up the sound of a very faint yet very heartfelt laughter that could've only come from that timid little ball of wool that earned a very satisfied grin from Nick.

"It's no problem, Miss. Wilfred makes jokes like that all the time. Believe me, I'm more than used to it," Shannon finally spoke casually as Judy and Nick shared some very pleasantly surprised glances with each other. Already they were both starting to really like these kids.

"Well, looks like you kids came at just the right time. Here I was starting to wonder if ANY prey and predators got along out in these parts," nick commented; earning some very attentive yet concerned looks from their fellow travelers.

"W-why would you say that, sir?" Wilfred asked with some clear nervousness as he instinctively brought an arm around Shannon's shoulders before slowly pulling her closer.

"Please, just call me, Nick. I know you kids are told it's polite, but really it just makes me feel too old. Anyway, I bring it up cause just recently we had a…less than pleasant run in with one of the local flatfoots," Nick explained; not even noticing how the mention of a cop spurred Shannon into clinging onto Wilfred tightly.

"Nick, are you seriously gonna bring that up already? I thought you just said you didn't want me to start showing you my road rage again," Judy said in a semi-joking yet clearly warning tone as Nick put his paws up defensively.

"Aw, c'mon, Carrots, I just thought they deserved to know why I think they're the best company we've had so far today. You can't seriously tell me you're still seething about that even with these nice kids here," Nick explained while trying to sound as supportive as possible while acknowledging their guests.

"Well…no, not as much at least," Judy admitted before glancing up at the rearview mirror and seeing Wilfred and Shannon both looking at her with curiosity.

"It was this big ram holding some kind of traffic stop; asking us if we'd seen anything unusual. I think it said 'Schaffer' on his badge. Anyway, he was so rude to Nick here, and for some reason it just…it just got me so angry, and I don't know why, but the fact that he wasn't getting angry about it too was only making me feel even worse. The whole thing just…it just makes me feel like even for all the hard work we put in, this makes it feel like it changed nothing," Judy hesitantly explained; and the further she went to describe why it hit her so deeply, her memory couldn't help but go back to the last time she'd ever spoken with Dawn Bellwether, and how she'd said that in due time, the world would forget the good she and Nick had done for Zootopia, and predators and prey would once again be at odds with each other like nothing had ever happened.

"What exactly is it that you do?" Shannon quietly asked; causing Judy's ears to perk back up in attention as she was once more pulled from her depressing thoughts.

"Oh, we're both cops, actually, from Zootopia. We just came out here on…well, personal business. And hey, what kind of partners aren't there for each other off the job, right?" Judy explained; trying to ignore all the depressing emotions she'd just been dwelling on.

"Really? We've always wanted to go there ourselves, but we could never afford to. Not a lot of jobs where we're from," Shannon admitted with a hint of childlike wonder before immediately bringing herself back to reality.

"Wow, two for two. The last locals we helped out said the exact same thing yesterday. Anyway, if you want, why don't you stick with us the rest of the way We're obviously gonna head back to Zootopia once this whole thing's over, so you can get a good look at it for yourselves," Judy offered; only for Wilfred and Shannon to both start vehemently shaking their heads before she could even finish.

"No, you don't have to do that, really. It's bad enough we're imposing on you like this; we wouldn't want you to feel like you have to take us all the way back with you. Seriously," Wilfred hastily said as Shannon seemed to clutch onto his shirt even tighter; completely ignorant of the mutual weirded out looks on Judy and nick's faces. Just that reaction alone showed there was something these two weren't keen on sharing.

 **Later that night…**

The rest of the day had been thankfully uneventful. The awkwardness regarding Wilfred and Shannon fortunately seemed to die down once any idea of bringing them back to Zootopia had been brushed aside. They didn't want to put any more unnecessary pressure on the teens; opting instead to just take them as far north as Reynard's Grove if that really was where they were headed.

It was right around sunset that they'd managed to reach another small town by the name of Hooferville complete with a quaint little motel. Luckily the folks in charge didn't seem to have much disdain for two pairs of predators and prey checking into one room, so they could at least be grateful for small blessings that way. If she was volatile enough behind the wheel, Nick didn't even want to think what Judy could've been capable of on foot without a seatbelt to restrain his grey little fuzzball.

"Alright, this should do for tonight. How about the two of you relax while Carrots and I go get something to eat? You look like you haven't eaten for at least a few days," Nick finally offered once the four of them had managed to settle into their room; taking note of their companions' expressions of sheer relief, as if these had been the first beds they'd slept in for ages.

"Are you sure about that, Nick? We don't mind going instead. You two have already done so much," Wilfred tried to offer before Nick silenced him with a single raised paw and a reassuring grin.

"Please, don't worry yourselves. You two have been on foot for the last couple weeks like you said, and we've had the luxury of that truck. It seems only fair you get to laze on your tails for once while we get the exercise," nick said kindly before motioning for Judy to follow him out the door, which she accepted with an optimistic little spring in her step as they began to head out.

"Excuse me. I…we really don't know how to thank you both for everything you've done. You don't have to take us all the way to Reynard's Grove if it's too much of a burden. You can just drop us off here and continue on your way," Wilfred called after them just before the door had shut; spurring fox and bunny alike to look at him in surprise.

"Where's all this coming from all of a sudden? You said yourself that's where you were headed, so why would you suddenly ask us to just leave you here?" Judy asked confusedly as Wilfred just bowed his head; clearly at a loss for an answer.

"Please, don't mind him, Miss. We're just…we're just not used to folks being as kind to us as you've been," Shannon attempted to explain; rubbing her wolf companion's back comfortingly as Nick and Judy could only slightly nod in understanding. Feeling nothing left to be said, they finally stepped out the door before making their way out into town.

"So, I don't think I need to ask if you're getting a weird feeling about those two as well, right?" Nick finally asked once they were out of the motel parking lot.

"Of course you don't need to ask. I don't know what it is, but there's clearly something those two aren't telling us about themselves. Anyone paying attention could tell they're not backpackers," Judy agreed; the look in her eyes and the tone in her voice showing she was once again in full-blown cop mode.

"Not only that, but every time I asked them something about themselves, there was this nervous tick I caught from them both; as if they were trying to put together a good answer. They're definitely trying to keep the truth a secret," nick elaborated further by the time they'd crossed the main street.

"My original thought was actually perhaps a kidnapping or maybe some other kind of hostage scenario," Judy reluctantly admitted; knowing just how much that could sound like she was simply assuming the worst because those kids were natural predator and prey for each other.

"I would've thought so too if I hadn't kept an eye on them on the way here. The way that lamb always holds onto that wolf; heck, just the way I see her looking at him when everything's real quiet. I don't know what it is she's projecting towards Wilfred, but it definitely isn't fear," Nick commented; catching a very curious glance from his partner.

"If I had to pick the words to describe it, I'd say it's almost like she's…trying to protect him, or maybe it's like she feels safe around him. Maybe even more than that; there's this look in her eyes I think I caught once or twice I'd almost want to say looks like she's actively choosing to be as close to him as she is, almost as if she doesn't want anything but to be around him," the fox continued; by now completely in his own head with his thoughts as he didn't even notice the now wide-eyed look of shock on Judy's face.

It was like the universe was constantly ganging up on her with her darn emotions. How the heck did that fox manage to describe what she'd constantly been feeling around him so well while describing total strangers?

And what's more was the sheer realization of what that nagging twisting sensation deep in her gut whenever she and Nick were alone together really was. His words had described where she felt it was coming from pitch perfectly. It was the feeling of wanting to protect him that had driven her to go this far outside her responsibilities as a friend and a partner for him. It was the feeling of comfort and safety she now always felt in his presence that made her want to be around him nearly every hour of every day. And above all else, it was the sheer desire to just be around Nick just for the sake of being around him that drove her to do the things she'd done more than anything else; as if she couldn't bear the idea of not having him at her side anymore.

She almost felt her whole body lose all control as the weight of all this self-realization had hit her. So long she had tried to rationalize these bizarre, strange emotions she'd constantly felt around Nick ever since they'd solved the Night Howler case. So long she'd been trying to deny whatever it could possibly have been that was making her feel these things around her best friend. But now, in the middle of some small country town in the middle of the night did that same dumb fox somehow manage to put the source of it all into perspective for her.

 **A few hours later…**

By now, everyone had thankfully fallen into a deep and relaxing sleep. Nick nearly felt all tension, discomfort and emotional insecurity practically wash away for what felt like the first time in months. Wilfred and Shannon both looked as though they were in absolute heaven.

Judy on the other hand remained wide awake with her mind racing at a million thoughts per second; staring up at the glistening starry night sky from the bed of the truck.

Not once was she able to silence the practically screaming thoughts bouncing around in her head ever since Nick had sent her knowledge of her own emotions into an uncontrollable spin. It was as if the nagging voice of reason that had always been with her was now working overtime to try and help her get a grip on herself so she could once more manage the source of where her recent emotions came from so she could once again be the reliable and resourceful bunny she'd always been.

But at the same time, a part of her felt more at peace than she could remember feeling in a while; as if her feelings having been put into perspective had helped qualm an otherwise tense and nervous part of her mind. The more she tried to decide which part of her was feeling the right thing or not, the more she started to realize she'd need to start seeing a shrink the instant they got back to Zootopia.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Shannon's meek voice suddenly registered in Judy's head; causing the poor bunny to nearly jump a foot in the air from surprise and earning a respective squeak of surprise from the timid lamb in return.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I just woke up and saw you weren't inside, so I just got curious," she immediately began to apologize while Judy struggled to calm her racing heart from the sudden adrenaline rush.

"No, no, no, i-it's okay. I got so caught up in it I didn't even hear the door open. My fault," Judy tried to reassure her as they both finally managed to calm down and share a mutually embarrassed giggle with each other.

"Okay. So, what're you doing?" Shannon asked again as she climbed up into the truck bed with Judy.

"Oh, I've been feeling really restless for the last few hours. Whenever that's happened to me, I find watching the stars always calms me down and helps me think. It's definitely a lot easier out here than back in Zootopia," Judy said with a hint of nostalgia as she lay back down to continue her stargazing while Shannon took to looking up with curiosity as well.

"Really? What're you feeling restless about? I-if you don't mind me asking of course," Shannon asked shyly as Judy just let out an amused giggle at her childlike timid nature.

"I don't mind at all. I…I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately. See, I said Nick and I were out here on personal business. Well, it's mainly regarding helping him get through some family stuff; some really hard family stuff. I had to work hard to convince him to come along, and lately I've just been starting to think of what any other mammal would be asking me at this point: Why am I doing all this for him? Why would I go to this length when he's the only one to benefit from it and I stand to gain nothing out of it? Why is a little bunny like me going so far above and beyond for a fox?"

Shannon couldn't help but listen with rapt attention as Judy continued; the uncertainty in her words becoming more and more apparent as the nostalgic wonder in her eyes slowly dimmed to one of grave worry.

"And the more I think about those questions, the one answer I always come up with is because he's my friend. No, more than that. Nick is my best friend. He's my partner. And at the end of the day, I know that if the tables were turned, he'd be just as stubborn and unwilling to just leave it be as I am right now. I know that he'd be willing to do everything for me that I am for him. We went through so much together since the day we first met, and we've helped each other wake up and learn so many things about the world and ourselves, it wouldn't sit right with me if I didn't do anything while I know Nick is suffering," Judy answered her own question as a strange knowing smile began to form on Shannon's face.

"You really do care about Mr. Nick, don't you?" the lamb finally asked as Judy looked at her like she'd only spoken the world's most obvious truth.

"Of course I do. After everything we've gone through, how could I possibly not? He's the best friend and the best partner I could've ever asked for," Judy stated bluntly while Shannon only gave a little shake of her woolly head.

"That's not all it is though, is it? I mean, forgive me for being too bold, but there are a million mammals out in the world that call themselves each other's' best friends and they typically go as far as being a reliable shoulder for the other to cry on when they're feeling down. That's something special in and of itself from what I've seen. But for someone to go as far as to throw everything in their personal life aside; to go as far as the road can take them just to calm the aching spirits of another…that to me is something much stronger than even the best friendship. And especially for you and Mr. Nick being a bunny and a fox to go this far is really something amazing," Shannon proceeded to let the extent of her opinion be heard as Judy could only listen to the lamb in astonishment.

"You sound like you're speaking from some real personal experience about this kind of thing," Judy said with a knowing smirk as Shannon averted her gaze nervously.

"Well, I can't rightly lie about that. I mean, I might as well tell you. See, me and Wilfred have known each other a really long time, since we were just kids even. We spent all the time we could together growing up, though neither of our families liked that we were doing that. And when you were talking about that cop from earlier being mean to Mr. Nick, the way you described how you got so angry about it really sounded just like how I've felt for Wilfred. See, he got picked on a lot by the other kids in our town for being a predator, and as we got older, I started feeling more and more like I had to be there to protect him. I mean, not physically. He'll always be way stronger and bigger than me for that, but I mean…so that I can protect him emotionally, and help remind him that not everything has to be bad. I'm sorry, I'm probably not making any sense," Shannon went on to explain; her timid voice building with emotion before finally stopping herself before it would be too much for her to control.

All the while, Judy felt a tug at her heartstrings to hear just how similar Shannon's emotions towards her wolf were to hers for Nick. It would almost be enough for her to think that maybe their meeting these two kids was some kind of fate to keep bringing all her conflicting emotions from this day alone into perspective.

"No, no, it makes perfect sense, believe me. You're right. That is how I've been feeling with Nick for a while now. It's like when we really started getting along and working together, I wanted to be there for him like he'd been there for me, to help protect him from the painful things this world has to offer; because he's also had to put up with a lot of it before. When that whole thing with the cop happened earlier, it was like everything in my body was telling me to get involved, to protect him in any way I could like I know he would've done for me," Judy reassured the lamb as she felt her voice going softer the more she started to verbally express and accept the sheer strength of her protective and supportive feelings for her fox. And with each word, she felt a stronger and stronger sense of confidence that she could be able to accept the real extent of whatever these unfamiliar feelings may have really been; no matter how much that one stubborn part of her wanted to keep from figuring it out.

"I guess we really are a lot more alike than we thought, huh? Do you mind if I just say one last thing?" Shannon said with undeniable happiness in her words before nervously asking Judy for one last word.

"Forgive me for being too nosey or intrusive, but I just want to share one last thing that I think really showed me how much you really do care for Mr. Nick. I know this might not make any sense, but over the last few hours since we stopped here, I couldn't help but notice that whenever you look at Mr. Nick, I keep seeing this…well, this strangely deep but indescribable…something in your eyes. It's almost like maybe there's something you're feeling for him that's reflecting whenever you look at him that maybe you don't even know yourself what it is. But I feel like it's something you'll recognize exactly what it is when the time is right," Shannon proceeded to describe as Judy's eyes went wide and her ears nearly became scorching hot as she felt her whole face turn red.

How in the world was this little lamb somehow able to see and interpret ALL of this when she herself hadn't even realized she was apparently doing this? How was that even possible that she could be showing all this with only her eyes without even knowing she was doing it? Now this was something else she was going to stay awake all night obsessing over.

"Why are you suddenly telling me this?" Judy struggled to ask as Shannon once again took to looking up at the stars with another deep sigh of nostalgia.

"Because I'm almost certain I had the same look around the time I finally accepted how much I feel for Wilfred, and that's why I said you'll probably realize just what that something you're showing in your own eyes is only when the time for you is right," Shannon admitted with a deeply emotional smile to herself as Judy just rolled onto her back; gazing up at the stars in absolute fascination at what she'd just been told. Would she really know whatever this something was? How would she know when the time was right? Was it something for her to decide, or would it be like some weird mental happening that would just spontaneously hit her? She'd almost want to scream about how insane this all was if she hadn't felt such pleasant warmth in her chest about the emotions she DID actually manage to finally figure out.

 **The next morning…**

The sun rose over the town of Hooferville with a gentle warmth behind the slightly overcast sky, rather than with the typical intrusive ray of light through the motel room window. All four sleeping mammals were still resting comfortably with each other in their beds as nature's call to rise came to them simultaneously as they all began to stir.

When Judy finally managed to open her eyes, she awoke to the familiar but never less-welcomed sight of Nick still sprawled out in his unconsciousness with that look of contentment on his sleeping face as she remained cuddled up tightly against his side with her little paws holding onto his shirt.

It was easily her favorite sight to wake up to that always brought a similar smile of affection and satisfaction to Judy's face as she had half a mind in that instant to nuzzle her face into his side and just enjoy the moment a little bit longer. That is until she caught Shannon gazing at her in her peripheral vision; smiling that knowing smile from last night as though she'd been watching Judy since she woke up.

That smile could only tell Judy that she must've once again had that strange something in her eyes again she didn't even know she had now. She would've wanted to let out another groan of exasperation if she hadn't been so comfortable holding onto her partner.

It wasn't too much longer before Wilfred and Nick had both finally woken up and all four mammals were as bright-eyed and figuratively bushy-tailed to face the day.

"Well, I don't know about you but that was probably one of the better nights I've slept in a while," Nick said with a heavy yawn as he stretched his forepaws and back with a groan of satisfaction.

"Yeah, same here. Thanks again for accommodating us like this, you guys," Wilfred agreed; bowing his head in childlike embarrassment, clearly still overwhelmed by the fox and bunny's kindness.

"You don't need to keep thanking us for every little thing, Wilfred. It's just common courtesy of the open road. You help each other out in whatever ways you can. Speaking of which, we've still got some food left over for the rest of the trip, so you're still more than welcome to come with us to Reynard's Grove if you like," Judy assured the young wolf as Nick immediately smiled and nodded in full agreement as Wilfred and Shannon both looked at each other uncertainly, as if they couldn't decide whether or not to accept.

"Well, that's kind of you to say, really; but we don't wanna trouble you folks any more than we already have, so—" "Actually, Wilfred, I'd like to stick with them for a little while longer," Wilfred began to say before Shannon suddenly piped in; earning a look of surprise from her wolf companion.

"A-are you sure, Shannon?" the wolf asked meekly as the little lamb nodded enthusiastically; and for a few seconds, poor Wilfred looked as though he were severely struggling trying to decide what was really the best choice. But ultimately, with a single sigh, his expression thankfully seemed to soften before giving a nod of understanding.

"Fantastic, it's decided then. Let me just get some coffee for the road and then we can get going," Nick proclaimed enthusiastically before he began making his way for the motel's front office.

"Actually, I need to call my folks and let them know where we are too," Judy called out as she practically sprinted to his side once more; unconsciously grabbing onto his right forepaw and holding onto it tightly as Nick just gazed down at her with visible surprise, but with that same all-purpose grin never leaving his face.

Judy could practically feel Shannon shooting her that same all-knowing grin behind her back, but right now she didn't care. This felt so much more right now that she'd finally taken the rest of the night to come to terms with the feelings she now knew were within her. The smile on her face couldn't have been any more contented than it was right now.

Once they'd stepped into the motel's office, Judy wasted no time dialing her parents on the pay phone while Nick quickly got to work prepping his caffeinated rejuvenation. It didn't matter how much he'd gotten used to waking up at the crack of dawn with his partner, some addictions you can never outgrow.

He couldn't help but feel an overall sense of anticipation this morning, as if he actually felt a new surge of confidence of just what was waiting for them now. Gone was any semblance of reluctance or frightened uncertainty or hesitation. Maybe it was those kids' infectious enthusiasm or contentment in each other's' presence affecting him, but right now he felt like as long as he had his Carrots at his side, he was able to face anything today would throw at him.

However, as he took his first swig while listening to Judy chat the minutes away with her parents; his wandering eyes soon glanced across something on the nearby bulletin board that caused him to nearly do a double take as he quickly came closer to see if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Posted side-by-side on the cork bulletin board were two Missing Mammals sheets, with photos of Wilfred and Shannon on them. They looked like high school yearbook photos, and underneath both was the name of the town Herder's Glen, and underneath Shannon's photo was the name 'Shannon Elizabeth Schaffer'. Two different phone numbers were printed at the bottom for any witnesses, and scrawled on Wilfred's paper were the words 'Please Come Home, Son'.

As if a fire had been lit under his tail, Nick immediately pulled the papers from the board and quickly came to Judy's side, tapping her on the shoulder before practically thrusting the papers in her face; to which her expression almost instantly turned to utter shock.

"Mom, Dad, I'm gonna have to call you back later, sorry," Judy hastily ended before nearly slamming the receiver down and grabbing one of the papers out of Nick's paw.

"Are you serious?! Those two are—?" "Runaways. I can't believe we didn't think of that," Nick answered Judy before she could even ask; his once bright eyes now deathly serious as he focused his attention on the two youths talking to each other just outside.

"Nick, what do we do?" Judy hesitantly asked as she could only look at the two sympathetically. Clearly there must've been a reason why the two would've run away from home, and a part deep down inside her could already guess what it might've been.

"I wish I had a good answer, Carrots, but I don't right now. The least we can do is get the real truth from them this time," Nick said in nearly a grunt as he made a beeline for the door and then straight for the two; and he could tell they knew something was wrong the instant they saw the way he was practically stomping toward them. And their eyes both went wide with horror the instant they saw the clutched pieces of paper in his and Judy's grasp.

"Would either of you care to explain this?" Nick wasted no time with pleasantries as he held Shannon's missing poster for both of them to see. Judy instantly caught up to his side; her demeanor much less serious and far more reluctant to have to do this as she too held up Wilfred's.

The young wolf and lamb looked to be at an absolute loss for words, as though they were both trying to figure out some way to talk themselves out of this. But ultimately, any sign of tension or fear faded as they both nearly collapsed against the truck; a mutual look of defeat in their gazes as they seemed to realize this was a corner they wouldn't be able to fight their way out of.

"It's true. All of it. We didn't want to lie to you folks, honest we didn't. It's just…we can't go back home, not anymore," Wilfred reluctantly began to explain as Shannon once more clutched onto his pant leg as though looking for protection.

"At least tell us why. Why would you do something like this, and why would you lie to us about it? Tell us everything," Nick said in barely a mutter; clutching the paper in his paw as though his life depended on it; trying hard to resist the urge to start grinding his fangs as though his blood were at a boil; something that worried Judy greatly the instant she noticed.

"Okay. I kinda told you this already last night, Miss Judy, and I'm sure you probably figured it out by now. Wilfred and I obviously aren't backpackers. We ran away from home because…well, like I said, me and Wilfred have been nearly inseparable as long as I can remember, but our parents never approved, and that only got harder to live with as we got older. I know how insane it must sound, but it's something I'm not able to deny at this point. I know Wil's a predator, and I'm his natural prey, but we're at a point where I couldn't stand the idea of being with anyone else but him. I love him, and that's all there is to it," Shannon finally worked up the courage to say; emotion and conviction both building in her voice with each word to the point her eyes were already starting to well up with tears once she finally stated the true extent of her feelings.

"So you ran away so you could be together?" Judy was barely able to ask in more than an immensely touched whisper as she once more felt her heartstrings being pulled.

"That's right. Our family's never approved of us being together, but Shannon's especially. They'd even said they'd sooner see me locked up and put away before ever seeing me be with her. I can't live without her any more than she could without me, so this was the only option that made any sense," Wilfred confirmed as he collapsed onto his knees and held onto the lamb in return while Judy and nick shared very uncertain glances with each other.

"So that's why you lied about your last name, huh? I'll bet that ram we ran into yesterday—" Nick began to guess as Shannon immediately started nodding her little head.

"That's right; that was probably my big brother Ed. He's in the sheriff's department and he's always hated Wil more than anyone for how close we are. He's been out there looking for me since the day we left. That's why you found us coming out of the woods, because we didn't want to risk running into him on the road. That's why we can't go back…Ed would kill him if he found us," Shannon was practically sobbing at this point as Judy felt tears of her own starting to come up while Nick felt an unpleasant chill going up his spine.

Judy herself couldn't stand the idea of just what these poor kids could've been looking forward to if they did come back. What right did anyone have to deny their child someone that they loved, that made them genuinely happy? Were they still at such a point in this day and age where honest mammals couldn't be in a relationship with one from another species, even if it didn't hurt anyone else in the process? How could anyone consider that fair? They weren't in the wild anymore, there was no reason she could think of anymore where prey and predator couldn't be together if they really wanted to. The injustice of the whole thing just made her all the more emotional to think about it. All she could feel for these poor kids at this point was sympathy.

"But did you ever stop to think about what this might ultimately do to your family if you keep running?" Nick finally asked; earning surprised looks from all three fellow mammals as his gaze was now focused on the ground at his feet.

"No matter how badly things might be with your families, can you really say you'd never want to see them again no matter what? Can you honestly say you don't care about how much they might be suffering worrying about you?" he asked much more vocally as he looked at the two teenagers with a look in his eyes that could only be described as a mixture of anger and personal pain.

"but they'd never let us be together. What makes them think they can decide who we can be with? They would never understand," Wilfred began to protect before Nick suddenly silenced him by angrily banging his clenched paw on the hood of the truck.

"Then go back there together and MAKE them understand! You have no idea what it's like to keep running and never look back, and every day ask yourself what could've happened if you'd just gone back and tried to make things right. You don't know how long that kind of regret stays with you and just how painful it can get. The best thing both of you can do is face up to your families together and make them understand how much you mean to each other. No matter how much they may disapprove, no parent could possibly have so much hate in them that they'd disown their own child for something as harmless as this," Nick immediately spat back; raw emotion all too evident in his tone as Judy instantly noticed. She couldn't imagine where this kind of angry passion was coming from. This was not the kind of thing that should've gotten this kind of response from that clever fox this easily.

"But what if they'd refuse to listen? I can't risk losing Wilfred over something we don't even know would work. You don't know what our families are like," Shannon protested between her sobs as Nick had to catch his breath from his unexpected outburst as his ears slowly folded back as his expression seemed to soften. Clearly the lamb was right. His point was true, but in the end all mammals were different, so he had no right to assume what was possibly waiting for these two lost kids.

"You're right. I don't know them. I'd hate to make you go back home and end up ruining what you two have with each other. But I'd hate to think of just how much your families would continue to miss you more and more every day too if you just kept running. So that's why I'm going to give you two a choice," Nick admitted; Wilfred and Shannon both looking up at him in wonder as he slowly approached them and knelt down to their level with Judy quickly following suit; her violet eyes still focused solely on her partner.

"As not only law enforcers, but also as decent mammals, we can't just pretend we never saw you and not call the authorities. I don't think it would sit right with either of us. So here's what I'm offering. I'm willing to give you two some money for bus tickets. If you accept it, you can choose whatever it is you want to do; whether it's to suck it up and go home and make your case, or continue running and never look back. But if you don't accept it, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to call the local authorities and leave it in fate's paws from there."

Wilfred, Shannon and Judy all looked at Nick like he was insane as his expression remained stone-faced and serious. There was no sarcasm or double-meaning to any of this. This was as far as he was willing to go with these two, and now their only real choices had been put on the table. Judy almost wanted to protest this idea. It felt too much like he was just leaving them out to dry with these options. The inner cop in her would've been ashamed to admit this, but right now the bunny wanted nothing more than to at least take these two a little further on before parting ways. She hated the idea of these two getting caught and most likely being forced apart forever.

At the same time, Wilfred and Shannon were fighting a mental battle of their own. This was the only option left for them. They didn't want to risk the idea of their families forcing them apart or worse; but they couldn't deny that the thought of their families despairing over them with each day left them feeling broken-hearted as well, no matter how misunderstanding and prejudiced they were. They could both agree this was probably the hardest choice they'd ever been faced with.

"Okay…okay. We'll take it, Mr. Nick. We'll take it," Shannon finally managed the strength to speak as Wilfred was too overwrought with emotion to even come up with words. The stern look in Nick's eyes didn't change as he silently reached into his wallet and slowly handed the little lamb a pawful of bills.

 **(A/N: Hey everybody. I didn't think I'd be throwing in another music cue this soon, but the way this scene went just made this song feel way too appropriate for the intended mood for me to resist. I strongly recommend you listen to 'Not Saved' by Ulver for this scene.)**

It was several minutes later that Nick and Judy had their truck pulled up to the nearest bus station, with Shannon and Wilfred both looking between it and their former hosts with frightened uncertainty of what they were to do now.

"I really hate to have to do this to you kids…really, I do. But I just can't sit back and not do anything while you both potentially throw everything you had away without at least considering the option," Nick apologized to the kids as he could feel a twisting sensation of guilt in his gut. He didn't want to have to put them on the spot like this, but he couldn't deny that he'd never forgive himself if he didn't do anything to stop those two from making a possibly terrible mistake.

"We understand, Mr. Nick, really. We're just grateful for everything you both have done for us at this point," Wilfred reassured the troubled fox as he and Shannon joined hoof and paw once again while Judy just felt her heart twisting in agony at the sheer uncertainty of what waited for these kids.

"That's right. But we are still really nervous. I mean…now that we're here, what should we really do?" Shannon hesitantly asked as Wilfred just looked up to the grey sky with great reluctance.

"I'm afraid that's going to be up to the two of you to decide. We can't tell you what to do. You'll just have to figure out what your heart thinks is the best option," Judy said between her involuntary emotional sniffles as it seemed the only real piece of advice she could give them now. Thankfully, it seemed as though Wilfred and Shannon understood exactly what that meant as they both looked at each other with at least a little more hope.

Without a warning, Shannon suddenly whispered into Wilfred's ear before he suddenly lifted her up in his arms and held her out so she could suddenly reach in and hug Judy where she sat; the flabbergasted grey bunny completely wide-eyed and perky-eared at this last second show of friendship.

"Thank you so much for everything, Miss Judy, Mr. Nick. We'll never forget you, no matter where we are," Shannon said between her own stifled sobs before Wilfred finally let her back down.

Judy couldn't bear to stay a moment longer otherwise she knew she might start to cry as well. With one last wave goodbye, the engine rumbled to life and the truck was soon rolling up the road once more; Nick and Judy both watching their two young counterparts waving back at them for as far as they could possibly go before they could no longer see them in the rearview mirror.

Once they were gone, Judy let out the shakiest and heaviest sigh she could in an attempt to alleviate her heartbroken feelings for those two as she kept her eyes focused on the road. Although Nick could easily tell her mind was far from the present.

"You don't have to worry about them anymore, Carrots. They're smart kids. I'm sure whatever they'll decide to do will ultimately be the right thing," Nick tried to reassure her as he put a comforting paw on her shoulder; causing her to give him the faintest yet still most genuinely grateful smile she could muster.

"I'm sure you're right. But…could you answer me one question at least?" she barely managed to ask over a whisper as Nick was once again all ears; now fully dedicated to making his Carrots feel at least a little better.

"Would you mind telling me just where that all came from" she asked as Nick was legitimately confused and at a loss for a snappy comeback or anything else.

"I like to think I know you well enough by now to know that things like that don't get such a passionate and emotional rise out of you, at least as easily as it did. Just where was all that coming from, Nick?" she elaborated further as Nick felt himself being pushed into a sensitive corner of his own as he struggled for the words.

"I-I don't know what you want me to say, Carrots," he finally managed to say as Judy tightened her grip on the steering wheel before shooting him a silencing glare; accentuated by lingering tears in her eyes.

"I want you to tell me just what REALLY happened between you and your mother that would've made you so emotional about those two running away from home, Nick. I want you to tell me what happened, and this time I want you to tell me EVERYTHING."

 **And there we have it at long last, Chapter 5. This really ended up being a lot harder to put together and especially longer than I was expecting. But at least I can rest assured the rest of the chapters won't be nearly as long as I pretty much have those all figured out. This really ended up being a lot deeper and possibly way more emotional than even I had intended at first.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and I would love to hear your thoughts on how this chapter was for you.**


	6. Admitting the Truth

**Hello once again everybody. Your continuous support never ceases to brighten my days. I was so nervous about how the last chapter would be received because I realize myself I've never had the best track record when it comes to how I write OC's, so I was really nervous how you'd receive them. And it seems nobody had any problems with them, some even expressing how they wish we could get to follow them and see just where THEIR story can go. And see, that's something I personally really liked the more I learned about what went into making the world of Zootopia feel as realistic and alive as it did, that apparently the writers went through the trouble of giving every single individual character in the background a backstory, reinforcing the idea that everybody has their own potential story in this large thriving world. So that was what went into my creating Wilfred and Shannon.**

 **However, to those of you who would like to keep following them and see what'll happen, I have the unfortunate duty of letting you know I don't intend to continue writing for them, mainly because I don't want to sidetrack myself from what I have planned for this story series.**

 **BUT, that doesn't mean I'm not allowing any of you aspiring writers to take up the task yourselves. If you really want to, you have my full permission and my blessing to continue their story if you really think it's something that should be continued. Heck, I encourage it. I'd love to see if anyone actually liked what was there enough to actually want to try continuing it themselves.**

 **Anyway, I just wanted to get that open-ended offer out into the air so now we can continue on to Chapter 6, and here is where we finally learn the true extent of just what went down that ruined things between Nick Wilde and his mother as badly as it did. We're slowly but surely reaching the end, folks. I'm still infinitely grateful you all have stuck with me this far down the road.**

 **Zootopia and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney.**

"38, 39, and 40. $140 for you and $140 for me, even split as promised," thirteen year-old Nick Wilde announced proudly as he handed the last handful of ill-gotten money to his diminutive partner in crime, Finnick the fennec fox.

"Well of course it's as you promised, Wilde. Any less and you'd be laid out flat right now," Finnick said humorlessly as he pocketed his share of their daily earnings from either pickpocketing or swindling the unsuspecting citizens of Zootopia. It had been yet another busy but ultimately profitable day as the sun had now set and the two foxes were once more eagerly on their ways home.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah; I know already, nobody rips off Fierce Finnick twice. You know you really gotta work on getting a more intimidating nickname," Nick said sarcastically as he impulsively ran his paw through his handful of money as if to relish in the feel of just how much there was. He'd already been doing the con and swindle life for a whole year now, but the satisfaction of cold hard cash never faded.

"Hey, as long as you got the dough to back it up, nicknames don't mean nothing. Why else you think the most unlikable stuffy-shirted bigwigs get away with everything?" the burly-voiced fennec asked rhetorically as Nick just let out a tired sigh and pocketed his money, instinctively looking to the towering skyscrapers of the inner city.

"That's undeniably true, my friend. I bet their species get treated as bad as foxes, but nobody picks on them when they got that kind of cash," Nick agreed; his tone soon lowering as he was now talking in bitter resentment to himself at the natural unfairness of it all.

"Oh, I know that look, Nicky-boy. You don't seriously think you're ever gonna make it up there with those top-dollar fat cats, do you?" Finnick asked in amusement the instant he saw the glimmer of determination in his partner-in-crime's green eyes.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it? A whole year already, Fin. A whole year and I've already saved up nearly 2 grand. One day, I'm not gonna be living in this trashy little neighborhood anymore. One day, I'm gonna be in the heart of the city, living large and laughing at all those animals that said foxes like me wouldn't get anywhere. And when that time comes, I'll be the one to have the last laugh," Nick mused excitedly as Finnick just rolled his eyes at the red fox's childish aspirations.

"Whatever you say, Nick. I'm sticking to my guns and getting myself a van. Only thing better than your own palace is your own palace with wheels. Least then the Feds can't nail you for rent or taxes," Finnick said with an ignorant shrug of his shoulders as he and Nick began to part ways at the next intersection.

"Whatever you say, big guy. See you tomorrow. Can't wait to try out that new Pawpsicle scheme with you," Nick said with a single wave as he departed from his cohort's side before eagerly walking up the stone steps into the apartment lobby.

The entire way up the stairwell to the apartment he shared with his mother, Nick Wilde felt like he was on top of the world. A whole year of continuously swindling as many fellow mammals as he could and no one ever got wise to him, and the cops never got the drop on him. To say for these few precious moments he felt untouchable was a true understatement.

Once he carefully stepped into the apartment to avoid making as much noise as possible, he was momentarily surprised to see the entire apartment was pitch black. That was very unusual. Normally when he was out past dark, his mom at least made sure to keep the hallway lights on for him so he wouldn't trip. For a second, he just naturally assumed his mother had been kept late at work. It had been known to happen more often than not these days now that rent had gone up.

Of course that never made his mom suspicious why she was so easily able to afford rent and food to put on the table since Nick typically slipped a modest share of his weekly earnings into her purse while she slept.

Once Nick began to step past the doorway leading into the kitchen, he was momentarily blinded as the lights suddenly clicked on, and Nick was met by the sight of his mother, Vivian Wilde sitting cross-legged on the chair; her unreadable gaze easily penetrating right through him as she had her forepaws crossed.

"Oh, h-hey, Mom. You scared me for a second there, I thought you'd still be at work since the lights were off," Nick tried to play it off coolly as Vivian didn't move or make a sound. She was always able to make Nick lose any kind of cool demeanor he had when she was like this. She had a certain talent for letting him know he was in trouble without saying a word.

"Why are you still up this late, Mom? You know you have to leave for work in the morning," Nick continued to speak softly as he began to approach his mother; beginning to reach out to help her onto her feet like he usually did when she was clearly exhausted after a long, hard day.

"You were out awfully late tonight again, Nicholas. Does that make this the…third or fourth night in a row?" Vivian finally asked with no humor or any other emotion to be found in her tone as nick froze in his tracks; trying to hide his fur bristling with nervousness.

"I-I don't know what to say, Mom. Finnick needs a lot of help studying, and the school library's only open for so long, and—" Nick began to explain confidently before Vivian suddenly reached into her coat pocket draped over a nearby chair and held out a single torn white envelope.

"Do you know what this is?" Vivian asked humorlessly as Nick swallowed a dry lump in his throat out of sheer reflex. He could already feel his head burning up with the anxiety.

"This is a letter from school I came across this afternoon. Funny thing, it says that they haven't seen you on the school grounds for the past three months," Vivian stated as though she were reading right off the paper as she tossed it aside across the table while Nick remained still as stone. Of all the things, he should've thought to check the mail, make sure she never got anything that could've revealed the truth. Now he knew he was utterly busted.

"So if you haven't been to school for the past THREE MONTHS, then please tell me, what have you been doing every day, Nicholas?" Vivian asked; trying so hard to keep her emotional composure while Nick instinctively began to step back.

"I-I…o-okay, me and Finnick have just been hitting up the town, you know working odd jobs and such. I mean, you work hard enough for the both of us, I only thought it was fair that I," Nick began to explain, a ray of hope in his voice as he hoped this last minute explanation would be enough to erase his mothers' suspicions. Only for her to then reach under the table cloth and pull out a very familiar pillow case before plopping it down onto the table, with several hundred dollar bills spilling out of it.

"And what kind of odd job allows you to put together this kind of money in only three months? I've worked odd jobs when I was your age too, Nicholas, and not one of the mammals I worked for was nearly so wealthy, let alone that generous. And this isn't even including what I found under your bed," Vivian asked, nearly on the verge of shouting; her voice almost starting to crack with emotion as Nick's words died right in his throat.

"Nick…I want you to look me in the eye right now and tell me the truth…where did you get this kind of money?" Vivian asked; the sheer restraint she had to exercise almost physically showing as she finally rose from her seat and began to approach her wide-eyed son. For as much of a slick talker as he was already proving to be, even Nick realized now he couldn't talk his way out anymore.

"M-me and Finnick…w-we got it by…s-swindling folks that weren't looking," Nick reluctantly admitted; cringing as his mother let out an involuntary gasp of shock before he could even finish.

"Oh, sweet heavens, Nicholas, you STOLE this money from others? Why? Tell me, WHY would you do something so stupid?! Don't you realize if someone caught you, you'd go straight to jail? Is that what you want?!" Vivian exclaimed, nearly in hysterics as Nick tried to fight the urge to cry as he usually did whenever he was in trouble when he was younger.

"Of course not, Mom! I-I just thought that it's not fair you have to work so hard and we barely even make it. I-I just thought this would help us, and," Nick began to explain Vivian let out another overly emotional gasp before having to support herself against the counter to keep from collapsing from the shock.

"You mean…I've been paying our rent and putting food on our table…with STOLEN money?! Oh, Nicholas Piberius Wilde, how could you do this?!" she asked, no longer able to hold in her heartbroken tears as Nick bowed his head in utter shame.

"Oh, my son, I thought I taught you better than that! Raised you better than that! Why, why, why would you do something you've always known is a crime? You were such a good boy before, why would you suddenly do this?" Vivian asked between her sobs as Nick reflexively tightened his paws into fists.

"Because what good is school gonna do me when nobody will ever trust or hire a fox? What good is having a roof over your head when you have to work yourself to the bone just to barely pay the bills or even afford to eat? How can you look at this place and possibly call this living? I just wanted to make things a little easier," Nick shouted angrily as his mother slowly turned her gaze to him with a look of horrified realization.

"Nicholas…is that what this is all about? Is this you trying to PROVE something? Is this you trying to show everyone you don't need what everyone else does to survive? What are you trying to PROVE, Nicholas?! You think that by stealing from and ripping off others, you're somehow showing everyone you're not like what they think foxes are? Its things like what you're doing that are WHY people treat our kind the way they do! I thought you'd realize that," Vivian exclaimed not in anger but in devastated frustration as Nick couldn't bear to look her in the eye.

"No, what I realized is no one's EVER going to even TRY and see foxes as anything but shifty and untrustworthy! If they're not even going to give a kid like me that chance, then why bother doing anything but giving them what they want?!" Nick asked angrily, as if all the pent up sadness and anger from years of mistreatment by his fellow children and grown-up mammals alike was suddenly all coming out at once.

"But you're smart enough to know not to fall into that kind of thinking. Doing what you're doing isn't going to solve anything! Working hard to stand out is how any decent mammal rises above what others think of them! Why do you think I've worked so hard to get us here?" Vivian tried to reason with her son; as though trying to ignore the emotional fire now burning in his eyes now that his inner floodgates had finally been opened.

"Oh yeah, you worked so hard to get us into this dirty little hole in the wall that can't even keep us warm in winter! You talk so much about how hard honest work gets you where you want to be, well how long have you been working and how many times have you seen others that weren't there for nearly as long as you get promoted while you get left in the dust? When was the last time your bosses ever complimented you on the work you do, huh? Can you honestly tell me that honest work will really make other mammals look at you as anything more than just a dirty good-for-nothing fox?!" Nick argued; trying so hard to ignore the tears running down his mothers' face as her eyes burned with equal parts sadness and anger of her own.

"At least working an honest job and managing to at least get by is better than making money as a criminal! For goodness' sake, Nicholas, I know I taught you better than this! I know you know better than this! What in the world happened to you?" Vivian asked once more through her sobs as Nick couldn't even bear to look her in the eye anymore. He absolutely refused to be spoken down to like this, not when his one positive example to follow in the world had nothing to show to back up her own words.

"You want to know what happened, Mom?! I woke up, that's what happened! You had me believe that in Zootopia, anyone could be anything, but you know what?! That's the biggest lie there is! Nobody can be anything they want, they can only be what they are, and guess what? We're dirty good-for-nothing foxes, and that's all we'll ever be, but you don't want to admit that you were too stupid to realize that and kept fooling yourself into thinking you'd ever be accepted by them," Nick began to ramble in hysterics of his own; not even noticing the devastated, utterly broken look in Vivian's eyes at his unbearably painful words of derision.

"It's no wonder dad left. He must've seen how delusional you were to think anyone would ever accept us foxes and got out while he could," Nick finally muttered in an emotionless monotone as Vivian sank to the floor in utter shock.

"Nicholas…my baby boy…how could you talk to me this way?" Vivian barely managed the strength to ask in more than a whisper as Nick shut his eyes tight and refused to even look in her direction; whether out of some foolish kind of pride or disgust.

"I'm not your baby anymore, Mom! I've grown up…why can't you do the same? At least I know how the world really works…" Nick said just as quietly; no sound in the air to come between them as the apartment was left in the coldest, most unbearable silence as his cruel and cynical words hung and echoed in both their minds forever.

The instant Nick's ears picked up the sound of his mother beginning to approach him, as if he had no real control over his own body, Nick suddenly took off down the hall and out the apartment door as though adrenaline were the only thing pumping through his veins.

"Nick, wait! Nick, come back! My baby, please come back," Vivian's voice called out to Nick as he seemed to be making his way down the stairwell without stumbling through sheer muscle memory; never daring to look back; ignoring the numerous pleas from Vivian to stop, to come back. Her voice echoed like an unbearable cacophony in Nick Wilde's head the further he ran; ignoring the biting chill of the nighttime wind as he burst out onto the sidewalk and blindly ran in one direction for as far as he could possibly go; every instinct in his mind urging, pleading, begging him to turn back and apologize, but ultimately, in the end, his body never allowed him to look back as he continued to run further into the night.

 **Present Day…**

"I don't even know how long I ran. I don't even really know how far. All I know is that I just kept running and running for as far as I could possibly go before my legs finally gave out and I just collapsed onto a nearby park bench. It was already sun up by the time I woke up, and I didn't even stop to think. All I did was just keep going as far as possible. Ever since that night, there hasn't been one single day where even for a split second, I haven't thought about going back and apologizing for…for how STUPID I was, for all those terrible things I said to her because I was so sure I had it all figured out; because I was too stubborn, too arrogant, too proud to just admit that I was wrong. So that's it."

The inside of the truck was left in the utmost dead silence; accentuated only by the hum of the engine and the rolling of the tires as nick just looked on at the horizon; the lively glimmer in his eyes now replaced with an emotionless, cold gaze.

And all the while, Judy couldn't even hope to keep her utterly heartbroken tears from streaming down her face as her precious best friend finally laid all the cards of his past out on the table for her to bear witness to. No matter how many times she opened her mouth to express her condolences and sympathies, words failed her. What could one possibly say when someone so special to them has told them of something so terrible, so tragic happening in their life? 'Sorry' and any variation of such couldn't even hope to begin to cut it. There was nothing anyone could say to that.

"So was it everything you were expecting, Carrots? Did I exceed your expectations? You feel any better now that you finally know the whole story?" Nick asked bitterly as he just stared out the window, as if he couldn't even bring himself to look his partner in the eyes.

"Nick, I…I-I don't know what you want me to say. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have forced you to tell me. If I'd only known," Judy attempted to apologize; her voice trembling with emotion, but Nick didn't even flinch.

"Yeah, well you didn't know. There are all kinds of things you don't know," he muttered coldly as Judy bowed her head in shame. There was no way she could've known just how devastating the truth really was. If she had, she never would've made Nick have to revisit it. To do so even for the sake of no secrecy between them was just cruel, and she realized that.

Just before she was finally able to open her tiny mouth to speak, the silence was suddenly disrupted by a loud metallic clang, immediately followed by an ear-splitting snapping sound from inside the engine, and all at once the rumble of the engine came to a stop, and the entire truck died right before their eyes. Judy managed to turn them onto the side of the road before finally coming to a complete stop; practically sprinting out the door before opening the engine hood to be met with a face full of smoke.

For a few unbearable minutes, Nick sat in uncomfortable silence; hating the feeling of utter uselessness in this situation. He didn't know the first thing about mechanics for cars or anything else, so he was about as useless here as could be. The occasional sound of Judy tinkering with the engine and grunting to herself didn't help things either.

"Hey, what's the problem there, Carrots?" Nick finally willed himself to ask from his window; being met with silence for a couple minutes before finally Judy let out a defeated groan of frustration before finally slamming the engine hood shut, then quickly plopping her head onto the hood and pounding her tiny little fist against the metal in defeat, finally prompting Nick to climb out and approach.

"The timing belt's completely gone and the radiator's shot. I'd just had the stupid thing replaced on my way back from Bunnyburrow to boot. Should've known it was too cheap to be good. So stupid," Judy finally explained before descending into a bitter and self-deprecating mutter.

"Well, hey, it can't be that bad, right? I mean, maybe we could try calling a tow service to at least get us to civilization and we can figure out where to go from there," Nick attempted to lighten the bunny's spirit, only her ears still remained droopy as she pulled her face from the engine hood and stumbled back to the drivers' seat despondently.

"I've been checking the signal every ten minutes we've been on the road. Hard as it is to believe in this day and age, there's no cell towers for miles out here. We'd never be able to reach anyone out here, and I don't even have any tools to try and salvage our busted parts," Judy explained further as Nick's fake optimism couldn't even last anymore at that point; tucking his paws into his pockets as he began to pace back and forth as he usually did when he was trying to avoid showing how aggravated he was getting.

"Well, I guess it can't get much worse, can it?" he asked sarcastically, mainly to the sky as if challenging the powers that be to resist the urge to kick them while they were down.

And with perfect timing, the overcast sky let out a thundering clap before a torrential rain immediately descended upon them; instantly soaking right through their fur, prompting them both to flee back into the truck that was now officially dead in the water. Apparently, it still could get worse after all.

The pounding of the rain against the metal roof was nearly deafening as neither Nick or Judy could think of anything to say. Judy was still reeling in her mixed emotions of discouragement and despair over their loss of transportation and with it their hope of reaching Reynard's Grove, and her broken-heart over Nick's past.

Nick however was a sealed book. He wasn't making a sound, not granting Judy eye contact or acknowledgement. He simply continued to gaze out at the wide open countryside beneath the dreary gray sky.

"Nick, I'm—" Judy once more began to apologize once the silence became too much for her, but within a second Nick had suddenly thrown the door open and was stomping out into the pouring rain; standing at the side of the road and staring out at nothing with his paws in his pockets. Judy knew the fox hated his fur getting soaked more than anything, and if he was actually choosing to stand out in a downpour like this than even listen to her, then she knew just how serious it was.

But darn it all, she was too stubborn to just leave it at that. She had to get this guilt out in the open, at least apologize for how insensitive her insistence had really been. Stepping out into the downpour, she hurried to just a few feet behind him, still feeling considerably reluctant to get closer; that stupid fear kicking in.

"Is this a good enough sign for you now?" Nick asked coldly; leaving poor Judy momentarily confused.

"The hints have been stacking up from day one we shouldn't have chased after her. I was more than willing to just let it go and move forward, but you drove me into a corner with all your talk of how important it was, and look where we are now. Are you convinced yet? Can you now see that we weren't ever supposed to try this?" Nick went on, less accusatory and more full-on rambling as he finally glared over his shoulder to his partner, pained anger burning in his emerald eyes as Judy felt her fur stand on end. She'd never seen him THIS truly angry before. Betrayed, yes; but not this genuinely deeply angry.

"Nick…I don't know what to say," she weakly muttered as Nick just let out a frustrated scoff.

"There's nothing TO say, Carrots. The writing's on the wall. We weren't supposed to do this. I would've been just fine doing our regular routine, but you just had to insist. You left me no other choice, and now we're stuck here with no way out. Does it occur to you what a massive waste of time this all was now?" the fox asked impatiently as Judy felt all potential words die in her mouth.

"I don't believe that. I don't believe you would've been just fine. Maybe you didn't recognize just in how much pain you were, Nick, but I did. Ever since we got back from Bunnyburrow, I knew something had to really be hurting you. You may be able to keep your emotions from showing to everyone else, but not me. You can't seriously have just expected me to just leave it alone, could you?" she finally managed the words together as Nick just shook his head in disbelief while she finally worked up the strength to approach him further.

"You just never know when to give up, do you? You just have to feel like you need to be everybody's hero. 'Oh, poor fox is feeling down in the dumps. Never mind that he may be able to pull himself through, I need to step in and act like it's any of MY business!' I'll bet that's what's been going through your head this whole time, hasn't it?" Nick nearly exploded, speaking in a mocking tone to his best friend as she just looked up at him like she didn't even recognize him.

"What is the matter with you, Nick?! You know how important you are to me! I just wanted to help! That's what friends do," Judy tried to defend herself before Nick threw his paws up to the air in disbelief.

"It's always the same answers with you! Well I'm not taking that anymore, okay? You know what friends also do? They also trust in each other, so why couldn't you have just trusted that I'd be able to pull myself through, huh? Why do you always have to feel like you need to step in and save me, huh? Why is it you never know when to just keep your little nose out of business it doesn't belong in?"

"I never try to drag the skeletons out of your closet, because I can at least learn to respect what you keep as your secrets, so what makes you think you have the right to force them out of me, Carrots? Why do you act like you need to know everything about me, as if I'm some kind of personal property to you? Why don't you have any trust in me that I can actually be able to look after myself emotionally? In fact, never mind all that, let me just ask you this one question, alright?" Nick fumed as Judy felt her heart twist and turn with every accusing and insulted word that came out of his mouth; speaking to her as if she had no true respect for him as her friend, and more like he was just some dumb fox she had to look after. If only she knew how to say how much that was never what she felt, never what she intended. She couldn't even tell anymore if the water flowing down her grey fuzzy face was the rain or her tears.

"Okay…ask," she muttered weakly as Nick tried so hard to compose himself.

"Alright. Why did you really insist we go on this trip, Carrots? And don't you dare give me that same song and dance about how we're friends and we're partners on and off the job and that's just what we do. Don't give me that this time. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me the truth, the real truth this time. Why couldn't you have just trusted that I'd be able to pull myself together and we could keep going like nothing had ever happened? Why couldn't you have just left it all alone when our first search turned up nothing? Why couldn't you have just left everything alone and trust me to let you in in due time? Why did you really force us out here for something that doesn't even affect you?"

"Because it does affect me, stupid fox," Judy finally exclaimed; her tiny paws clenched angrily as Nick was left completely silent now that she'd finally worked up the courage to talk.

"Okay. Explain yourself, Carrots. Now," Nick instructed in dead seriousness as Judy took a deep breath to steel her nerves; never breaking her eyes from his.

"You have no idea what was really at stake. That day we helped that little fox in Tundra Town, that's when it all started. Ever since you went off and acted on your own, everyone at the station was talking about how you'd broken the rules and acted recklessly. That was why Chief Bogo had called me away that day, he wanted my account of what happened. Nick…if you'd been there, you would understand why I insisted we do this. He was going to suspend you, and he'd even talked about putting you up for psychiatric evaluation, and if he didn't like the results, he was going to fire you; saying how you'd be too temperamental and risky out on the job," Judy finally let the truth all out as Nick didn't show any sign of response or affect. It was almost as if she were just speaking to herself as he soaked it all in.

"So that's what it all comes down to, huh? The fox gets emotional and suddenly he's too dangerous to keep around. Why am I not surprised? So he would've taken me off the job; why does that suddenly give you the idea to send us on this wild goose chase if you're not even at risk?" Nick asked incredulously as Judy knew he wouldn't be satisfied unless he got the answer he was really looking for in all this. His job security wasn't what mattered. What mattered, she realized, was why she felt she had to step in when it ultimately wasn't her problem.

"Because if he takes your badge away, he'll have to take mine too," she finally blurted out before she'd even thought about it, as if it were a pure motor reflex that left both of them wide-eyed.

"What the heck are you talking about now, Fluff?" Nick asked in disbelief as Judy quickly managed to regain her senses. She should've been utterly dumbfounded she'd said something so daring, but instead she felt…conviction; confidence in these words that just seemed to come to her out of sheer instinct.

"Do you really think I want to work with anyone else, Nick? Do you really think I could ever work as well with another mammal as I do with you? There's no point being in the ZPD if I know you're not there with me," Judy attempted to explain; feeling her blood boiling as Nick's expression remained unimpressed with each word.

"You must think I'm a lot dumber than I look, huh, Carrots? You've worked pretty much your entire life to make it into the ZPD, since you were nine, your parents said. We only met barely more than a year ago. You seriously expect me to believe that you'd be willing to throw 17 years' worth of effort down the drain just for me? Do me a favor and don't insult my intelligence," Nick said in utter disbelief as he once more turned away from his partner, as though he were completely insulted by what she was suggesting.

"You wanted the real truth, and now I'm giving it to you, Nick! Yes, I know how much hard work I put into getting where I am, but I grew up thanks to you! You made me realize just how the world really works, and you made me realize something else: what good is making the world a better place if you don't even have someone special to you to make it possible for? I can't go back to the ZPD without my partner, without you! Sure, you may not believe me, but I know it's the honest truth! There's no point being a cop and making the world a better place if we can't do it together," Judy exclaimed in near hysterics as she nearly hunched over from the overwhelming force of emotion she was letting out through these deeply locked away words she was finally saying for Nick and the world to hear.

Once the echo of her shout had faded away, all Judy could hear was the wall of noise from the rain as she remained glued to where she stood; anxiously waiting for the fox to just say something, anything. She couldn't even muster up the strength to shed any more tears as she felt emotionally drained.

However, her ears merely twitched when she caught the sound of Nick's barely audible footsteps; unable to even look up as she saw his knees as he knelt down to her level.

Knowing it was pointless to keep looking away, the bunny slowly lifted her head to see Nick watching her not with anger, but not with any hint of happiness either. It was once more a gaze she couldn't try to interpret.

"I want to believe you, Carrots. I really do; but I just don't know if I really can. How many times have we gotten into talks like this and you throw in that it's all for the sake of us being partners, as if that's all I need to hear?" Nick asked rhetorically as Judy's bottom lip trembled with emotion as she felt completely out of options on what to possibly do.

"Tell me what I have to do, Nick. Please. Tell me, what do I have to do to show you how much I mean this?" she finally asked; desperation reflecting in her violet eyes as Nick looked clearly taken aback that she was actually letting her guard down like this with him.

"I want you to drop this big hero act of yours for once and just…just tell me the truth behind this whole mess. Just tell me what really drove you to bring us out here," Nick finally managed to say; instantly causing Judy to take a sharp breath through her teeth as the words once more seemed to come to her immediately.

"I did it because I don't want anyone else for a partner! I did it because I only want to work with you! I did it because being a cop would be so boring without you there to crack jokes and annoy me at every possible moment! Because if the ZPD won't have you, they can't have me either! Because life is so much more exciting with you around! Because you make every single day more fun than anyone else ever could for me! Because when I see you happy or contented, it makes me feel like everything will actually be okay! I did it so I could help save the good life we have together! I did it because I'm a selfish bunny who only feels good now when her best friend in the world does! Is that it? Is that what you want to hear? Because I can't be any more honest than that!"

The poor little bunny had to practically gasp for breath now that she'd finally let all of her most repressed emotions out. She felt light as a feather to no longer have to keep it all to herself anymore, but she was still left with a feeling of emptiness; almost as if she lamented the fact that now there was nothing left between them but the one thing she still felt unbearable doubt towards.

She couldn't even will herself to move when she suddenly felt the warm, comforting and familiar sensation of Nick's forepaws slowly wrapping around her small frame and pulling her in close, leaving her to breathe in that familiar Nick Wilde scent that only he could have that she'd found herself to have grown incredibly fond of.

"Thanks for finally coming out with it, Carrots. Listen, I don't care if you do things for selfish reasons, just don't lie to me about them anymore," Nick whispered into her ear as Judy found herself at a loss for words while still bringing herself to cling onto him just as tightly before nuzzling her face into his neck.

"Okay…just promise me you won't lie to me either, alright?" she finally managed request; hoping he couldn't feel how much she was smiling through his fur as he let out a single chuckle of amusement.

"As if I could. That's one thing I can't say I approve of, Carrots: you can read me too well these days. I couldn't get away with lying to you anymore if I tried," he stated with mock disappointment as the two finally pulled away from each other while sharing a mutual laugh.

"And don't you forget it either, clever fox," she humored him as they continued to laugh in both relief and satisfaction that so much emotional fallout between them had miraculously managed to be recovered. There were a few minutes in that madness where Judy feared she would've lost Nick forever if she hadn't just finally emptied her heart out to him. But the last thing she wanted right now was to dwell on that.

Before either of them could think to say anything else, their ears both suddenly twitched as they looked back down the direction they'd come from to see a single pair of headlights coming their way; accompanied as if by some miracle with the downpour suddenly lightening up before finally stopping completely.

The closer it came, the more Judy and Nick both felt a surge of relief hit them when they saw not only was it coming to a stop, but it was clearly a tow truck. For once neither of them even wanted to mentally groan at what a real-life cliché this was; much like anyone else who would've been stuck where they were.

"Forgive me for asking the obvious, but do you folks need some help?" the old mountain goat driver called out to them once his battered old truck came to a stop.

"Oh, yes! We thought we'd be stuck out here for who-knows how long. Our timing belt and radiator are both shot," Judy explained with both relief and excitement as the driver let out a wheezy chuckle.

"Well, I don't have any spare parts on me at the moment, but I know we got plenty to help ya down at the shop. I'm on my way back to town a ways away, so lemme hook 'er up for ya and y'all can ride with me," the goat offered as he brought the truck forward and wasted no time getting to work hooking up their truck to his own.

"Oh, thank you so much, sir; we really can't thank you enough. Just how far away IS your shop" Nick asked as he tried to step in and help the old goat as best he could; only for him to wave him off as though it were no trouble.

"Shoot, that's why y'all 're lucky I rolled by when I did. I set up shop in this small town, Reynard's Grove, still about a good four hour drive from here. Besides, it's just the courtesy of the road: ya don't leave strangers all alone, it just ain't done in my line of work, so takin' ya with ain't no trouble," the mechanic said with his gravelly country accent; not even noticing the wide-eyed looks of astonishment from his two new companions at just where they were now finally going to reach.

"Oh wow, believe it or not we were just headed there ourselves! We came all the way from Zootopia to get there," Judy announced excitedly as the mechanic gave out a wry chuckle as he'd just finished hooking up.

"Well, y'all certainly came a long ways. Then again, most folks in these parts have to for most anything. I was just on my way from helping a friend several towns back fix up his nephew's busted down van, over a day long trip both ways, but anything to get me on the open road, y'know? Anyway, small world, now I definitely couldn't just leave y'all out here. Hop on in," the mechanic explained with an amused grin as he motioned for the two to climb in as the truck sputtered back to life, soon sending them slowly but surely rolling onwards.

 **(A/N: Man, this is starting to happen more often as I write. A character like this old-school country mechanic just makes me feel a tune like 'It's Nobody's Fault But Mine' by Blind Willie Johnson is the only one that would do this scene justice. Either that or 'May the Work I've Done Speak For Me' by The Consolers. Whichever one you folks think works best.)**

"Shoot, I almost forgot to introduce m'self. The name's Lester Geit, but y'all and everybody else can just call me Les," the kindly old goat introduced himself as soon as they were back on the road while his two new passengers had to grow accommodated to the strange musty smell of this clearly ancient ride of his; accompanied by a scratchy, twangy country-sounding tune barely emitting from the speakers.

"Oh, I'm Judy Hopps, and this is my best friend, Nick Wilde," Judy wasted no time introducing themselves; once more earning a gravelly chuckle from their latest benefactor, almost as if he found literally everything around him amusing.

"Pleasure to meet y'all. It's always nice to see new faces round these parts. So pardon m' curiosity, but what brings a couple city folks like y'all to a little slice of paradise like Reynard's Grove?" Les asked; drumming his hooves against the steering wheel in time to the barely audible twanging on the radio.

"We're just going there on…well, personal family business," Nick tried to shrug it off. It wasn't like he could just tell this old codger that they'd done something as dumb as change their mind now that he knew they were so close.

"Y'all got kin out here? I know most everybody there; done lived there pretty much m' whole life, I'd think somebody woulda mentioned having family out in the big city," Les exclaimed with visible surprise; his demeanor clearly showing he wasn't the kind to be easily surprised. He didn't even notice the mutual looks from his guests.

"You know everybody in Reynard's Grove? Well, the person we're looking to meet moved there around six years ago. A female red fox, probably somewhere in her fifties by now," Nick explained as he began to bow his head in regret again now that he'd finally started to realize just how truly long it had to have been by now.

"Well I'll be, y'all must be talkin' 'bout ol' Vivian. Shoot, I seen her around plenty of times these last few years; sweetest ol' vixen come 'round town in ages," Les exclaimed with a hearty laugh of realization while Nick and Judy both had to restrain from shouting now that they had probably the best lead they could ever hope to find.

"You know her? Would you happen to know where she lives? We were so focused on getting to town, we didn't think about how to find out where she was specifically," Judy asked as calmly as she could while seeing the clearly anticipatory look in Nick's eyes. He looked so conflicted right now. This was as close as he'd ever get to finally seeing his mother again, and he knew it, but still looked quite hesitant to go through with it.

"Well sure I do, I helped her fix up her car more than a few times. She never really gets out much, haven't seen her around for a little while, but she did get along with me and pretty much everyone else in town. She lives just on the outskirts, gotta be the first house on the right ya see. I can drop y'all off there while I take your ride to the shop so me 'n Gus can look 'er over if ya like," Les offered; and for a second, it felt like Nick and Judy's hopes had both finally, FINALLY been met.

 **Four hours later…**

Nick felt his heart catching in his throat once they'd passed the beaten up old sign announcing their arrival to Reynard's Grove. The seemingly endless sea of grassy plains had now given way to yet another thick, hilly forest.

But by the time he began to feel the truck pull to the side of the road in front of a single winding dirt road, the poor fox nearly felt like he was going to have a heart attack where he sat. This was it. After all this time, all this constant self-doubt and mental debate and both willing and unwillingness to go through with it, there was literally no turning back now. They were finally here, and it was time for him to finally suck it up and make right what had silently tormented him for the last seventeen years.

"I'll take yer truck into town where me 'n Gus can fix 'er up. I know there's a phone in there where y'all can reach me, just in case ya need a ride to the motel in case…well, best I just keep that to m'self. I'm sure things'll go just fine for you folks," Les kindly offered as Nick and Judy stepped out onto the cold soil; both of them looking nervously up the road. They couldn't even see the house at the end from where they were.

"Thank you so much for all your help, Mr. Geit. I wish there was more we could give in return," Judy thanked the old goat as she pulled out a handful of bills from her wallet.

"Oh, don't even think about payin' me, Miss Judy. Any friends of Vivian's are friends of mine. Y'all just tell her 'hello' for me, will ya?" Les immediately turned the money down; the heartwarming aged grin on his face never faltering as they both gave him an affirming nod of understanding. And just like that, with another loud mechanical sputter, the goat was off down the road with their truck once more; leaving them with nothing but the ambient silence of the forest to accompany them.

"Well…looks like this is it, Carrots," Nick eventually worked up the courage to say; his feet nearly feeling like they weighed a ton before Judy gently took his paw into her own with a confidence-inspiring smile of encouragement.

"Yeah…looks like it. And we'll get through it together, just like always," she said optimistically; causing Nick to barely crack an appreciative smile before they began to make their way up the dirt road deeper into the woods.

"Listen, Carrots…this'll be the last chance I can say this before we…well, we finally do this, but…I'm sorry for those…well, all those nasty things I said earlier. You know I really try not to get like that," Nick suddenly apologized in a shameful mutter, but Judy wouldn't hear of it as she simply clung onto his arm with no sense of lingering anger or offense.

"No, you had every right to be upset back there, Nick. I'm sorry too, for not knowing how to just mind my own business. If I'd known just how painful it all really was for you, I never would've made you tell me about it. No one should ever have to go somewhere that personal against their own will," she apologized as well as Nick softly rubbed the top of her fuzzy head in reassurance.

"Well, it's not like there's anything more personal than that I can keep hidden from you anymore, so looks like we won't have to worry about crossing any boundaries any time soon," Nick said with a casual laugh, as though feeling he needed to prove to her that all was forgiven between them. But before she could think of anything witty to meet him with, they both came to a stop when they rounded a corner to find a single dark brown two-story house waiting for them at the end of the road.

For being so deep in the woods, it looked to be in reasonably good shape, as if someone had really worked to keep it all together. There was only one clearly aged car sitting in front of the house, and as if to provide the last evidence they could possible need, the point where the road turned into the plot of land surrounding the house was marked with a slightly dented mailbox with the faded letters of W-I-L-D-E written across it.

Judy was more than ready to practically sprint this last stretch of distance, but was nearly swept off her feet when Nick didn't start rushing with her, instead remaining frozen where he stood. She didn't even need to guess why. His green eyes were focused solely on the house, as if he were staring into a void he'd never be able to come back from. This was where everything was going to be decided; literally only a handful of footsteps away. If he even had any kind of hope he could still turn back, he most likely would have.

"Nick?" Judy softly called out to him, finally snapping him out of it as he glanced down to his precious partner. God bless her, if she weren't here right now, he didn't even want to think about what would be going through his head.

"It's alright, Carrots. I'm not running away, not now. But is it okay to admit I'm not the least bit ready for this?" he asked nervously as he tightened his grip on Judy's paw for reassurance.

"It's more than okay, silly fox. That tells me you are ready way more than if you'd say you already were," she said encouragingly as the fox merely shrugged his shoulders. Couldn't honestly argue with that logic.

Taking a deep, steadying breath through his fangs, Nick finally started to make his way to the door with Judy eagerly matching his stride while trying to brace herself as best she could. She'd been so pumped for this moment, but now that they were finally here, she felt like a timid little kid all over again. But deep down she felt like she and Nick could take on anything as long as they were together like this.

The creaking of the wooden boards of the patio beneath their feet seemed nearly earth-shattering compared to the tranquil silence of the forest before, but they refused to let anything else break their resolve. With one more breath, Nick finally gave a resounding three wraps of his paw against the wood of the front door; the impacts seeming to resonate in their heads, as though it were like the tolling of a funeral knell, the final chance to turn back either of them could've ever had now gone.

"Hey, Carrots, can I just ask you one more favor?" Nick hastily asked in a hushed whisper as they waited anxiously for some kind of answer.

"Of course, Nick. Anything," she accepted before feeling Nick's grip tighten slightly as he took another steadying breath, as though he were in the middle of battling down so many different emotions; to the point he looked like he was trying to keep his fur from standing on end.

"If, for whatever reason, she isn't here anymore…please promise me you'll drop this and we can just go home," he finally said with a heavy air of resignation about him. This time, Judy didn't dare hesitate or even give herself the luxury of being surprised. It was bad enough for him to have missed the chance to reconcile once. She wasn't going to try forcing him to continue the search if they came up short a second time. Not after everything they'd finally struggled to get out to each other during this whole journey.

"Of course. It's a promise," she assured him with a loving squeeze of his paw before her ears suddenly perked up at the sound of footsteps from inside the house. Both mammals simultaneously felt their throats shut tight as they heard the lock of the door turn, and finally, the creaking of the wood as it slowly pulled inward; revealing a single…older male fox with faded orange fur and eyeglasses resting on his snout standing in the doorway. He looked to nearly be pushing sixty years-old once they could actually see him clearly.

"Can I help you?" the old fox asked with an aged wheeze as both Nick and Judy struggled for words now that they'd been caught by surprise so badly.

"Um…y-yes, sir. W-we came-we came from Zootopia. See, we're looking for Miss Vivian Wilde. We were told she lives here," Nick fought to get the words out as the elderly fox seemed to be looking both him and Judy from top to bottom while the younger fox spoke so clumsily.

"Well, you're not wrong. Please, come in," the old fox seemed to just barely lighten up as he stepped aside and extended his arm to welcome the two into the dimly lit house. They both exchanged reasonably nervous glances with each other as they slowly stepped inside; hearts racing for just whatever was now to meet them.

 **And there you have it everyone, Chapter 6. This one took a lot less time to put together, probably because this was a chapter I had figured out pretty much from the beginning. Anyway, now they're FINALLY here after all this time. Now we can only see what happens next when Chapter 7 finally comes and brings this emotional journey to an end.**

 **I hope you all will enjoy this chapter like everything else. I'd love to hear your thoughts, because I really tried to pack some real painful but understandable emotions into this one.**


	7. Leaving the Past

**Wow. Just wow. This had to be one of the biggest responses I've gotten from everyone in less than a day of posting. I'm glad so many of you liked the last chapter, and now it has all been leading up to this. We're finally here, the penultimate chapter of the second installment of my Zootopia series. Thank you all so much for all your support and I hope this will both shock, surprise and move you all.**

 **Also, a guest reviewer complained last chapter about how my author notes of musical cues breaks the immersion of the reader, which is exactly what I'd feared when I started doing that, and this chapter is so important, that I don't dare want to break that immersion for you all, so I'm going to name the music cue I want you all to listen to right here. I can't stress this enough, this is the one piece of music I knew from the very beginning I wanted in this story before anything else, it resonated so perfectly with me, I hope it will be able to bring the emotions I've been hoping for out of you when you reach the scene I intended this for.**

 **When we finally hear Vivian Wilde herself speak for the first time, I want you all to listen to the main theme from** _ **'Das Leben der Anderen'**_ **until the end of this intended scene. You'll know when it ends. I have never intended for a piece of music in my stories to be used as much as I have this, so I can only write this and hope you all will take my word for it.**

The inside of the house was surprisingly dimly lit. It was all barely furnished with the most modest of decoration; carrying a pleasantly rustic atmosphere and scent with it, very similar to that of the forest that surrounded it. Somehow, it managed to simultaneously soothe Nick and Judy's nerves as they carefully stepped inside.

"Do forgive me; the place isn't in the best order. Wasn't honestly expecting visitors at all really being as far removed from town or anywhere else as it is," the elderly male fox explained with slight embarrassment as he shut the door and quickly returned to the two younger mammals' sides.

"O-oh, no, don't worry about it, we didn't even know what to expect on the way here. I-I'm sorry, but who exactly are you? Not to sound rude or anything, but I just was really expecting m—er, Vivian to answer," Nick hastily asked; trying to keep his words in check so not to offend their unexpected host.

"Oh, of course, how forgetful of me. My name's Robin, I've been living here with Vivian since she moved back here. But you don't have to stick to any formalities for an old fox like me, so you can just call me Rob if you like," the old fox said invitingly as Nick was clearly too preoccupied to pay much more than a nod of acknowledgment.

"I-I'm sorry, but did you just say 'moved BACK'?" Judy asked, this time catching Nick's attention as he looked to Robin with confusion.

"Oh, she never told you? I thought she would've mentioned it to at least someone back in the city. This town is where she was born. In fact, this was her old family home. We were good friends since we were children, and when she left for Zootopia, I promised to look after it in her absence since nobody else in her family was around to," Robin explained with a nostalgic glimmer in his tired eyes as Nick looked completely floored by this. Vivian had never once said anything about where she was from. He'd always just assumed she was born and raised in Zootopia like he was.

"Do you…well; do you remember why she left?" Judy hesitantly asked; earning yet another nostalgic chuckle from the old vulpine.

"Oh, of course. Vivian's always been a real hard worker, always wanted to make it to the big city since she was your size, little miss. Round the time she finally followed through, she was pregnant, though there weren't any sign of a father to be spoken of. I imagine that gave her more drive to get to Zootopia than anything else. Aren't much opportunities to 'expand our horizons' as she would say it around here, so I figure she wanted her kit to have more of a future," Robin explained; speaking so confidently about the details as though it had happened only yesterday. The instant he mentioned Vivian's pregnancies, Judy could instantly see Nick's ears twitch. This had to be so much new information for him to deal with. So much about what had brought his mother to the big city he'd never even dreamt of.

"Did she…did she ever explain why she came back here?" Nick asked in almost a whisper as Robin's sociable expression stiffened somewhat.

"Yes…when I felt it was right to ask, I did. She said that things had fallen through between her and someone very dear to her. Something that had been ongoing for a good number of years from what she'd said. I remembered she was with child when she left, so I naturally guessed that had to have been it. She told me, in great detail mind you, that she never wanted to leave until she saw her kit again, but she had to accept that if she did stay any longer, she'd most likely drop dead from heartbreak first. I didn't dare push her any further after that."

All was silent between the three as Nick's paws clenched into fists, almost to the point of his claws puncturing his paw pads. His heart was twisting and writhing with despair where he stood. She really HAD tried looking for him. She never just gave up, only when she realized she'd be killing herself by staying. How could he have ever blamed her for that? He couldn't imagine doing anything differently if he were in her place. Now he knew he had even more to apologize for once he finally saw her.

"Excuse me, son, but I have something needs asking," Robin's aged voice nearly croaked; causing Nick to face the strange old fox only to be met with an unexpectedly serious piercing gaze.

"Vivian's never had many visitors from the city, to say none at all, since she came back here, and suddenly the two of you arrive. Forgive me for making assumptions, but constantly thinking is really all I'm left with at my age. Would I be right in guessing…YOU are her lost little boy?" he finally asked, and if ever there was a moment Nick nearly physically reacted from the nail being hit on the head, this was it. What was the point in pretending now?

"That's right, sir. I…WE'VE come a long way to find her. There's…there's a lot I've wanted to apologize to her for after all these years," Nick confessed; his voice on the verge of trembling as Robin gave a single understanding nod.

"Well, believe it or not, she always said she had a feeling you'd find your way here one day, and I know she'll be…well, I don't think words will be able to describe how she'll be to see you again. You're bound to run into her out back behind the house. There's a spot on the hill where there's this gap in the trees overlooking the valley the town is in. You can't miss it; it's her favorite spot, has been since we were kids," Robin explained, going so far as to open the back door and extending a welcome forepaw for Nick to make his way.

As if pulled by an unseen force, Nick froze at the doorway; staring nervously at the hill rolling up before him. This was it. The final stretch. At the top of that hill was Vivian Wilde, his long estranged mother, and this was finally his chance to make amends for all his mistakes. His whole mouth felt dry as the Sahara as his feet felt like cinderblocks.

"Nick?" Judy's soft voice called to him as he felt the little bunny's paw gently hold onto his own; her violet eyes glimmering with concern at how nervous he no doubt looked.

"What do I do, Carrots? What am I supposed to say?" Nick asked with no hint of sarcasm or false courage. He sounded genuinely nervous, like a little kit all over again as he held onto her paw for dear life.

"I can't tell you what to say here, Nick. But I think you'll know when the time comes," Judy attempted to reassure him with a comforting smile; her heart fluttering instantly when he finally let out a heavy sigh and gave her an appreciative smile of his own before finally taking the first step out, with her loyally staying by his side.

Robin stood by in the doorway; watching the two young mammals slowly make their way up the hill before they were nearly out of sight. Once he couldn't see them anymore, his disarming grin slowly faded before he finally let out a tired sigh and proceeded to follow after them as fast as his aged body would allow him to.

All the while, Nick and Judy were both silently admiring the serenity of this deep forest. The silence was so calming unlike anything they'd experienced before. The wafting scent of wet soil and pine was so powerful yet pleasant, and the beams of sunlight managing to penetrate through the canopy overhead seemed to be just perfectly between too bright and too dark. It was no wonder anyone would've wanted to live out here once they got old enough. They could both easily imagine themselves doing just that.

"So, Nick…for now let's assume the best for how this will all go. Do you think your mother will…well, like me?" Judy suddenly asked nervously with her ears folded down as Nick just let out an amused chuckle at her bashfulness.

"I'd say she's always had a soft spot for bunnies; but knowing you, there's more than one way to interpret that, and maybe I don't feel like being specific," Nick teased as Judy couldn't help but giggle herself in return.

"Well, I guess I'll take you making your awful jokes as a good sign. With my luck, maybe she's where you got your sense of humor," she mused; bracing herself to not even be surprised if that were indeed true.

Before Nick could say anything, his eyes fell upon a small clearing at what had to be the top of the hill. And just like Robin had said, there was an unmistakable gap in the trees signified by a curtain of light shining through it. This was the place, it had to be.

Stepping into the clearing, fox and bunny alike felt their jaws drop at the view. They had no idea this place had been situated on such a high mountain. The town that had to be Reynard's Grove sat packed comfortably at the foot of the mountain inside a deep green valley, surrounded on all sides by smaller forested mountains, and the mountains themselves rolled ever onward further and further back as far as their eyes could see. And even in the farthest distance was an unmistakable towering line of even larger snowcapped mountains serving like the natural border, nearly blending in with the spotless blue sky. Both mammals nearly felt their fur stand on end at such an incomprehensibly perfect view that looked like something straight out of the postcards.

"This is the place…it just has to be. Mom always loved landscapes and brilliant colors, how could this NOT be it?" Nick was mostly asking himself in astonishment as he began to take in just how beautiful everything in this spot was, from the towering trees to the dark comforting green of the canopy and the foliage all around; all perfected by this perfect landscape view.

As he continued to look around, he began to formulate the question of just where his mother was if this was indeed where Robin said they'd find her. The thought nearly began to cross his mind until he finally landed his eyes upon her.

VIVIAN LAURELEI WILDE

Chiseled upon a small marble marker protruding from the soil, adorned with an assortment of what had to be freshly picked flowers of almost every conceivable color.

As if the timing couldn't have been any more perfect, a soft gust of wind blew up from the valley; forcing Judy to turn around protectively, and the instant her eyes landed on the small marble slab and she could make out the chiseling, her heart instantly stopped as she felt an involuntary gasp of horror get caught in her throat.

' _No…oh no, no, no, no,'_ was all Judy could think as she felt her fur stand on end, and that was before she could even will herself to dare look at Nick.

What she saw made her blood go cold. There were no tears. There was no sobbing. No clenching of the paws or trembling of the lip. There was nothing there. Nick Wilde stood frozen with his eyes focused solely on that headstone; his eyes void of any light, depth or emotion, almost as if he were mentally struggling to comprehend what he was seeing, as if to debate if it was even real. Then he began to approach it further.

"No…no, Nick, don't—" Judy was barely able to plead with him as she tried to reach out to stop him, only for her legs to buckle underneath her, as if any strength or energy she once had was wiped away just as thoroughly as any previous sign of life in the fox's emerald eyes. She was barely even able to crawl after him as he came to a stop just before the grave before finally collapsing to his knees; his forepaws hanging listlessly at his sides, almost as though he were a marionette cut free of its strings.

By the time Judy had finally reached Nick's side, he had begun to lift one paw to the chiseling; slowly running across it as though to prove it was real to the touch. There were still no tears, no visible emotion or reaction to be spoken of. For all intents and purposes in the eyes of an outsider, Nick was the literal depiction of a dead mammal walking.

"Too late. I…I was too late," Nick nearly mouthed the words with dead silence as his paw fell from the marble; unable to tear his eyes away from it.

"Oh, God…oh God, Nick, I'm so, so sorry," Judy finally managed to speak; her voice drowning with utter despair; choking with tears as she could barely muster the strength to hold onto him for dear life before proceeding to sob uncontrollably into his shirt.

He had been right. Maybe it WOULD have been better for them not to go through with this. Maybe not knowing ultimately would have been better. Rationality be cast aside, all Judy could think was how the sheer anguish Nick had to be suffering now was all because she forced him to come here. He had to live with knowing the closure he'd been hoping to find was never to be found, and the source of that knowledge now was her.

And what tormented her even further was how devoid of reaction Nick still was. He had every right in the world to be devastated, depressed, furious, ANYTHING at all. No one would've ever blamed him for letting his guard down and letting this tragedy get to him, it seemed only right, only natural. So why, why, why wasn't he reacting? Was he trying to put up a strong front for HER sake? Did he feel he needed to be the solid foundation between them when she got this emotional?

Or was it simply that he'd lived so much of his life keeping his real feeling hidden from the world, that he no longer knew how to express his deepest emotions besides anger? Just the thought broke Judy's heart even further as she couldn't hope to stop the tears at the sheer weight of this horrible truth.

All the while, the exterior of Nick Wilde was an unresponsive empty shell. Inside, his mind was nothing short of a battlefield of screams. Screams of despair to know that warm calming sensation he felt whenever his mother hugged was something he'd never get to experience again. Self-hatred for the unforgivable last words he'd said to her before turning his back on her like the ungrateful little brat he was. Anger at the world for having made their lives so hard as to drive them apart to begin with. But above all else was remorse. Remorse for every crime he'd ever committed no matter how small that had sent him down that road to begin with; and remorse for having never worked up the courage to just go back home and apologize for everything, admit he was wrong and just start over.

Now every chance he'd ever hoped to have to make things right and alleviate that overwhelming guilt was gone forever, and here he was on his knees in the dirt; wanting so desperately to scream to his heart's content, but his body wouldn't allow him to. And all he had for any form of comfort was the sobbing bunny holding onto him for all it was worth; his Carrots, the only significant other mammal he had left in this awful world.

As if echoing through an impenetrable haze, Nick's ears barely twitched when he heard the snapping of a twig close by. He was still in a daze when he finally managed to pry his eyes from the grave to see Robin standing at the edge of the clearing; watching them both with a morose, deeply emotional gaze. The old fox almost looked…apologetic in a way.

"I'm sorry, Nicholas. I wanted to tell you, but I felt perhaps it would be best if you were to see for yourself," Robin apologized; his cracked and aged voice almost trembling with emotion of his own as Nick's eyes returned to the headstone. His focus soon fell to the dates of birth and death beneath Vivian's name. He nearly felt his fur stand on end when he saw the date of death.

It was the very same day he'd graduated from the ZPA.

When Judy was finally able to stow her tears away for even a minute; all the while struggling for any words at all to say to Nick, her eyes followed his own; a gasp immediately escaping her tiny mouth when she saw the date as well. How cruel could the world truly be for this to have happened on what had to be the happiest day of both their lives?

"How? Please…tell me how it happened," Nick finally managed to form the words; his voice barely showing any outstanding emotion as Robin let out an expectant sigh.

"Of course. I'll tell you everything you want to know. But let's at least go back inside first."

 **In the house…**

The once quaint silence of the Wilde family home had now become comparable to that cold and lonely silence of the grave. The once welcoming and beautiful afternoon sun was beginning to give way to the intense overcast skies from before; breaking the silence once every few minutes with thunder, soon followed by the impenetrable wall of noise from the rain pouring upon the forest.

Robin had stoked a comforting fire in the fireplace while Nick and Judy sat in deathlike silence on the sofa, both of them at a loss for any words at all to say to each other, especially for what she could possibly say to her partner. The fact he still looked so emotionless had gone from unsettling to downright heartbreaking. What poor Judy would've willingly given to take all of this back so she wouldn't have to see him try to hide the no doubt immense suffering that must've been raging inside him.

Once Robin had sat himself down across from them, he could see from both their expressions the time for any kind of pleasantries was long since gone. It was time to give the young fox what he wanted.

"For the first three years since your mother moved back here, no matter how much she smiled, I always saw there was an immense sadness in her eyes. After she'd told me what had brought her back here, I didn't dare ever pressure her about it. There's no sadness quite like that of a mother who hasn't found their child. She told me everything about you over time; so much so I felt as if I'd known you for as long as she did before too long. But even despite the way she'd told me things had been left off between you two, there was never any sign of malice or resentment in any of it. That was just who Vivian was, always forgiving and always compassionate for others for as long as I'd known her.

"After the first three years, her health started going downhill. Cancer. They'd found it near her lungs. By the time the doctors discovered it, it was already too late to do anything about it. It had already gone terminal. But your mother…by God, she was always the strongest vixen I'd ever known, and that hadn't changed one bit. The doctors had given her six months at most, and she fought fang and claw through it for a whole three more years. No matter how bad it got, she never let it break her spirit. I don't know if that was just her natural unwillingness to give up, or if maybe it somehow came from her longing to see you again, but either way, she made it through each and every day with her head held high.

"After the first two years, even despite her condition, we'd managed to continue our lives like normal. But then the paper came in one day, and the very first thing she saw was yours and this little bunny's faces on the front page; talking about how you'd both solved that whole mess with those Night Howlers back in Zootopia. My mind had been so scattered that day, it didn't even occur to me that the fox I'd seen on that page was Vivian's own son, until I saw the look in her eyes. Even now I still struggle to find the words for it. That sadness that I'd always noticed lingering in her eyes had disappeared for the very first time. What I saw then was… a happiness the likes of which I can't recall ever seeing in another mammal.

"It was like some kind of miracle. We had to go and see the doctors again that very same day, and none of us could believe it, but Vivian's cancer had already begun to recede. None of us could rationalize it, but I'd come to realize the sheer happiness she must've felt not only from seeing your face again, but to see that you were actually helping others and doing the right thing and being rightfully praised for it had lifted her spirits so much more than I'd originally thought."

All the while through this, Nick and Judy both struggled to wrap their heads around everything Robin told them. All this time they'd both silently feared that Vivian wouldn't be able to forgive Nick for the things he'd said. But now to know that she'd never felt bitter for it to begin with was somehow both relieving, yet all the more heartbreaking to know Nick would never get to hear her say so now.

"Somehow, I had a feeling that might've happened. I couldn't imagine us not somehow ending up in papers all over the place. But…I saw the date; that was long before…before mom left. If she did see what we'd done, how come she never tried to contact me, at least put something in the paper or on the radio to somehow reach me?" Nick finally willed the courage to ask as Robin lay back in his chair with another tired and reflective sigh.

"I understand the confusion, son, believe me. She wanted to reach you, more than you could imagine. But even so, she was afraid that if she did, you'd find out about her condition, and that would possibly lead you back to where she was afraid you'd gone down after you ran away because of the guilt she believed you would feel. After seeing you looking so proud of saving the city, and especially for having found a real friend, she felt it was for the best you to be left to take your course, no matter how much it broke her heart to do so."

Judy instantly saw Nick clench his paws as he slowly bowed his head in shame. What right did he have to just assume she hadn't cared as a result of never hearing from her? Just from Robin's words, Nick couldn't deny that his mother was right to feel so concerned. He had no true way of coping with emotions like the guilt he'd been keeping buried for so long. If he'd known his mother was so close to death, even he couldn't guess where he might've ended up going after having been brought to such an emotional high point. Even after sixteen years apart, she was still going so far out of her way for his benefit. And how could he ever hope to express how grateful he'd always been for that now, even when he was too stubborn to admit it?

"Can…can you at least tell me when it happened? Please, I need to know…she didn't suffer, did she?" Nick finally asked with most hesitance Judy had ever seen from the quick-witted fox. She could only just imagine how hard it must've been for poor Nick to have to ask about when his own mother passed away. She couldn't even imagine having to do the same herself. Acting on pure instinct, she placed a supportive paw over his; their eyes locking as she tried so hard to convey to him how he didn't have to force himself to ask such sad things. It was all she could hope to do for him now.

"Not in the slightest. I still remember the day it happened. When it'd been announced on the news when your class in the ZPA was going to graduate and that it was going to air across the country, Vivian insisted we not miss it for anything, and I made sure we wouldn't. The entire time we'd watched, she was so happy whenever we saw you out there. I'd never seen her smile so brightly in these last six years.

"When it finally came for you to come up and get your badge, Vivian…Vivian was in tears, yet she wasn't even sobbing. When we saw that bright, proud smile on your face in front of all those mammals cheering for you, I remember all Vivian said was how proud she was of you and where you now were. After that, I helped get her to bed like I'd always done, and…and…" Robin began to choke as he brought a paw to his eyes to wipe away the tears beginning to well in his eyes while Judy began to do the same and Nick bit down on his lower lip to stifle the emotions back.

"The next morning…Vivian…Vivian was just gone. She'd simply gone, right in the middle of the night without so much as a peep. She…she looked so peaceful lying there, still with that contented smile on her face. By the time I'd finally composed myself, all I could think was…was that all this time Vivian had been fighting her sickness, it was all because she wanted to know somehow you'd at least be happy again before she left, as if she wanted to know her baby wasn't going to keep getting hurt by this world anymore. And seeing how happy you were gave her all the reassurance she'd wanted."

Robin finally broke into his own quiet sobs as Judy tried so hard to stem her own. And just as before, all nick could do was clutch tighter onto his pant legs; shutting his eyes tight from all the conflicting emotions that refused to die down deep inside him.

Vivian had still wanted to see him happy as if nothing had happened between them at all. Even when she was dying, all she ever thought about was making sure he was safe and happy, and that seeing him happy again was all she needed before finally passing on. Part of him wanted to be angry she couldn't have held on until he'd finally worked up the courage to come here. Part of him only felt that much more remorse that he'd waited so long. And another couldn't help but feel…a sense of joy that even after all this time he'd let his own guilt fester, his mother had never stopped loving him like she did. In a sense, he was emotionally cold, and in another he was every emotion he could imagine and more.

It felt like hours before Robin had managed to compose himself enough to see the still conflicted look reflected in the young fox's eyes. He couldn't begin to imagine all the struggles Nick had gone through to get to this point, and he couldn't begin to imagine what that emotional little bunny so loyally stuck at his side had to help him get through to make him as happy as he'd seen him that fateful night. But all he knew now was that now that Nick knew the truth, the time had finally come for him to keep the secret promise he'd made to Vivian Wilde.

"There's only so much I can hope to say to you to assure you that your mother never blamed you for anything, Nicholas. I don't know the emotions you must've been holding down for all these years; I'm not a mind reader. But there's one last thing I promised her I'd give you," the old fox explained as Nick and Judy slowly looked at him with mutual confusion and a sense of reluctance.

Robin led the two young mammals up the stairs before finally stopping at a single door near the end of the hall. He fiddled with a rusted key before finally managing to unlock and open it. Inside was an unbelievably finely kept bedroom that looked as though it had been dusted and straightened on a daily basis with the utmost care. The walls were adorned with old photos of what had to be Vivian throughout her childhood and teenage years along with some of Nick in his early childhood with his mother as well; and in the middle of the room was a single bed with finely pressed snow white sheets and what looked like the softest pillows, and resting neatly in the middle of the bed was a single tape recorder.

"Shortly before she…left, Vivian wanted to leave a message for you. She felt it would do you good to hear her voice, especially for what she had to say. I'll leave you to your thoughts, I imagine you'd prefer to be alone," Robin explained before slowly beginning to take his leave while Nick still stood in the doorway, almost unwilling to step inside. He'd had to face so many hard truths today; he honestly couldn't guess how much more he could take. And yet, knowing just how his mother had really felt made the desire to know what the last words she wanted to leave for him irresistible. If nothing else, just to hear her one last time was all he wanted at this point.

As Nick remained silent and glued to where he stood, Judy began to feel the same urging to give him some much needed privacy as Robin did, slowly beginning to give Nick some space, only for him to slowly reach out and grab onto her paw as gently as he could as she began to turn away.

"Please…don't; not now," he pleaded softly as Judy looked at him as though he were that same lost child all the way back in Tundra Town; looking as though he needed someone there for him more than ever before. Without a word, she slowly returned his grip, and that silent assurance of her continued presence was what finally drove Nick into that room before reluctantly grabbing the tape recorder.

The two sat on the edge of the bed staring at the tape recorder with serious intent for what felt like hours as Nick cradled it almost preciously in his paws. There was so much hesitance burning in his brain as he fought to raise a paw pad to hit the play button. So much fear, so much regret, so much hesitance to hear his mothers' final words to him. It wasn't by choice but by sheer emotion-induced muscle spasm that he finally managed to hit the button; that resulting click almost echoing through the room as he'd realized what he'd finally done. The sound of the tape spinning and playing was accompanied by several seconds of dead silence before the faintest sound of a voice struggling for words came, soon followed by words spoken in the voice that only Nick would've recognized in a heartbeat.

' _Nicholas…Nick…my sweet baby boy…it's been so many years, and there are so many things I want to tell you now more than ever. I imagine the same can be said for you as well. How cruel of an irony is it that this is the best I can hope for with which to communicate with you, and there's only so much time I have to leave you with the words I want?_

' _There's so much I want to apologize to you for, Nick. I'm sorry I wasn't there enough to help you see this world isn't as cruel as you were led to believe it is. But there was only so much one mammal like me could do to show you that. There are things you said that even I can't in good conscience deny. This world isn't fair; it's cruel to mammals that are the least deserving of it, while those that step on others to get to the top get a free pass. Oh, what I would have willingly given to change these things so you could see the world I hoped to bring you into. I hope you can recognize wherever you are now that I never did what I did out of some kind of foolish ignorance. I only ever wanted what was best for you. All I ever wanted was for you to grow up and be treated better by others than so many other foxes had._

' _But most of all, what I can never apologize enough for is leaving Zootopia without having found you first. Oh, Nick, to think of what you must've had to go through over all these years has tormented my heart every single day, and to think of the anger you must've felt for all these years towards the unfairness of the world pains me even more. I will never be able to truly forgive myself for letting you go out there on your own. I should've gone after you right then and there…every day, I dreaded waking up to hear you'd been kidnapped or God forbid even worse. If I could put into meaningful words how hard I searched for you, Nick. I-if you only knew, how much I begged any power that would listen to bring me to you so we could be a family again._

' _And to go against every instinct as a mother and leave the city after not having found you for eleven years…I'm such a coward for having done that. I can barely even look myself in the mirror for that. I never should've stopped looking for you. If ever you come across this…Nick…I can only hope you can somehow find it in yourself to forgive me for my weakness…because no matter how much Robin tells me I should forgive myself…I can't._

' _I relive that last night I saw you every single day, and I always think of the things you said. I can't imagine the guilt you must feel after all these years, but it isn't my place to assume what you must feel. But no matter what, I want you to know that I never resented you for even a fraction of a second for what you said. You had to be so angry, not just at me but at the cruelty others had shown towards us both to say the things you did, I know you didn't truly mean it. You were never a cruel child. It always brings me back to wishing I could've been able to protect you better than I had._

' _No matter what happened between us, no matter how many years passed without me ever finding you…Nick…my precious baby…I…I never EVER stopped loving you as much as I did the day I first held you. I can't imagine what you must have been feeling that could've driven you to come all the way out here, but please don't torment yourself thinking you need my forgiveness for anything. In my eyes…there was never anything for me to forgive. No mammal is perfect, but no matter what mistakes we made or the things we say to those we love…I have always loved you with all my heart, and even after I'm gone, I always will._

' _For so long I was left with my worries of wherever you were and what could've been happening to you without me being there to care for you…but…as if my wishes had been answered…I finally found you…my sweet baby boy. When I saw your smiling face in the paper…I wanted to return and find you and hold you and never let go more than I'd ever wanted anything in this world. But no matter how much time passes, life is never without its cruel tricks, is it?_

' _I can't claim to know whatever you may have thought at any point, Nick, but I wanted so badly to reach out to you, in the hopes that maybe someday you would answer, and I could…I could finally hear your precious voice again. After all these years, I finally find you safe, sound, and best of all…smiling once more. And yet if I reach you, I fear knowing my condition will send you back to where I couldn't find you again. What kind of life is it where a mother has to be silent in the hopes her own child will remain happy where he is?_

' _I can't truly say how much time I'll have left once this is over. When I saw how happy you were in the paper…a part of me that had felt so restless had faded away. I felt so much more…contented. Even now it pains me to say it, but at some point down the road I had resolved that I at least wanted some kind of sign that you were truly happy, just like I always knew you deserved to be. In the end, isn't that what every parent wants for their children? For them to be happy, even if we ourselves can't provide it? If I know that you're happy…maybe that is enough._

' _I'm sure in some sense I must sound like I'm rambling, or scrambling to cram as much into this confession as possible. But…Nicholas…if you take nothing else from this, then please…please take this with you: I have always loved you, no matter what has been said between us, and from now until the end of time, I will always continue to love you with all my heart. And if you have indeed felt the need for forgiveness, know that I never felt any resentment towards you for anything. I just hope that if you do indeed feel this way, that you can be able to forgive yourself deep down. Please don't torment yourself with sadness, regret or guilt. You still have such a long and promising life ahead of you, I want you to be able to do what truly brings you happiness and peace. That's the life you deserve._

' _So many things left to say, a-and so little time. Nicholas…if you only knew how much I miss you…h-how much I've wanted to hold you and tell you how much I love you one last time…I can only hope even a fraction of these emotions can reach you this way. Please know that no matter what happens; you'll never be alone. No one in this world is truly, TRULY alone. I'm not sure why, but I feel a sense of confidence you'll find someone truly special to give you the kind of love and support you deserve. And even then, despite whatever you may believe…I want you to know that I…I'll always be with you; watching over you no matter where you are. I can only hope that…that you'll perhaps carry a feeling of reassurance or comfort with that._

' _I love you, Nicholas…I love you so, so much, and I hope you'll continue to find the happiness I couldn't provide for you myself.'_

And with that, with a resounding click, the tape came to an end, and all that was left was silence accentuated by the pouring rain.

Neither Nick or Judy had words. They weren't even fully aware of where they were anymore. Everything that had been said on that tape had left them with so many things to think, and so many emotions to come to terms with.

Judy still felt like she had no right to be here during the most personal experience Nick had ever had to this point, no matter how much he needed her there. What was there she could possibly say after that heart-wrenching final message? She wanted more than anything to take away her partner's pain, but right now she felt so powerless, so at a loss of what she could possibly hope to do.

But ultimately, this was not the time to put together some kind of plan. There was no telling what had to be going through Nick's head now that he'd finally heard the last words on this planet his mother would leave for him, and she was going to find some way to soothe him if it killed her.

But then…Judy turned to address Nick, and what she saw…nearly shattered her entire world where she sat.

Before her very eyes, with no deception of the mind playing tricks on her ears, even through the wall of the rainfall, with his head bowed down and his paws clutching the sheets, Nicholas Piberius Wilde did the one thing he'd sworn to himself so many years ago he would never do: he let it all finally get to him.

Before Judy Hopps' eyes…Nicholas Wilde openly and remorselessly wept.

 **This chapter feels short compared to the others, and the confession of Vivian Wilde feels…somewhat unsatisfactory to me, but when you're writing the last words one leaves for their child, there's only so much you can say to convey the intended emotions before you start sounding repetitive.**

 **Final chapter after this one. I would ask you all to enjoy, but…all I can say for those of you who expressed your hopes is…I'm sorry.**


	8. Facing the Future

**Alright, after the no doubt soul-crushing experience that was Chapter 7, we finally arrive at the final chapter of my Zootopia series' second installment. It's been a very long, trying and difficult road for all of us, but hopefully this chapter will help raise your spirits at least a little bit after what I gave you last time. So here we go.**

 **Once more, Zootopia and its characters do not belong to me. They all belong to Disney.**

"Oh, good heavens…oh, Judy, I'm so sorry," Bonnie said sympathetically from the other end of the payphone while Judy herself held the receiver close while sitting morosely underneath; staring out at the seemingly endless downpour of rain that hadn't let up even once after it started. Quite appropriate considering how she was feeling.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about, Mom. If there's anyone here that needs to apologize right now, it's me," Judy tried to talk her mother down; her voice low with sadness still.

"W-what do you mean, honey?" Bonnie couldn't help but ask as Judy slowly shifted her gaze to hers and Nicks' hotel room door.

"I should've listened to Nick from the beginning. When we didn't find his mother the first time and I came back from visiting you guys, he insisted we just leave it alone and he'd be fine with time. But I didn't listen to him. I didn't WANT to listen to him. All I could think about was what Chief Bogo had said about possibly terminating him from the ZPD if he didn't improve. That was all I could think of, so I had to drag him out here, and now he's worse than I could ever imagine…and it's all because of me," Judy lamented; the latest batch of emotion and tears beginning to creep into her voice before she had to stop herself to try and swallow it all back down.

"Judy, please stop talking like that. This isn't your fault," Bonnie tried to reassure her, to which all the little bunny could do right now was roll her eyes at such a typical mom answer.

"How can you even say that, Mom? I put Nick into a corner by saying he could finally get closure, and when we actually got here, even I could see that for how nervous or hesitant he was, there was hope there, like he was finally able to apologize for how he'd left things between them. But when we learned the truth, all that light I saw was gone. If we'd just stayed in Zootopia, maybe he could've pulled through with time and he could still have the luxury of not knowing. But now he knows for a fact he'll never be able to apologize, and that's all because I forced us to come here. No matter what you say, I'm responsible for all this happening," she further vented; not even noticing the new tears rolling effortlessly down her grey fuzzy face; her rant met with several seconds of intense silence.

"Right now, all I can ask myself is why we did this. Why didn't I just listen to him when he said he didn't want to go through with it? I know he would've listened to me if we'd switched places. Why did I think this was going to work?" Judy deeply lamented as she pulled her knees up to her head and buried her face into them.

"Because you've always been a trier, Judy, you know that," Bonnie answered before Judy let out an aggravated scoff.

"Yeah, well maybe it's time I learned I shouldn't try everything, Mom. Every time I do, it only ends up getting other people hurt or in trouble. It was bad enough when I accidentally tore Zootopia apart, but now…now that I've directly caused all this emotional pain for my best friend…it feels even worse," she suddenly snapped before her voice fell back into barely restrained sobs again.

"Judy, stop it. I want you to just stop and listen to me for a minute, okay? Please, stop beating yourself up about this. Yes, this news is terrible, and I have all the sympathy in the world for poor Nick right now, but you can't go blaming yourself for this. The two of you couldn't have had any idea that this was what was waiting for you, and for all you knew, his mother could've been alive, and his chance for closure was there. There was no other way for you to find out the truth than this, and yes, while it may hurt like nothing you've felt before right now, I personally think this will ultimately be for the best."

"B-but Mom…how can this possibly be for the best? You didn't see Nick the way I did. I've never seen him break down like that EVER. Just thinking about it makes me…i-it feels like I've lost a part of him I'll never be able to get back because of this," Judy sobbed. Just thinking about how she saw her best friend openly break down into sobs in front of her made her fur stand on end. It was like a side of him she didn't even think existed, and to witness it firsthand had unsettled her immensely.

"What would you have rather had him do, sweetheart? Would you rather he just keep his emotions pent up inside like before? You said yourself he was clearly on edge and most likely going to get worse beforehand. Yes, he's suffering a lot of pain right now, but ultimately, he will pull through. In a way, this closure will be a good thing for him," Bonnie tried to explain while Judy, no matter how much she wanted to, couldn't wrap her head around it in her state.

"I wish I could believe that, Mom. The things he'd told me about how he left things with her, I could tell he really wanted to make amends for that, but now he isn't able to. Even if his mom did express nothing but love for him in her message, I don't think that's enough for him. I keep thinking it's less about him wanting her forgiveness as much as it is him wanting to be able to forgive himself," Judy said in recollection.

"Yes, that is very possible and very serious. I think that's why he's lucky to have you be there with him right now, Judy. Someone going through what he must be feeling from what you've just said needs someone to be there for them," Bonnie said sympathetically while Judy once more glanced back at the door to their room.

"I wouldn't know what to say anymore, though. He's barely uttered a word since we left for a motel. And…there are all the emotions I'M going through alongside him. I know this probably doesn't make any sense, but I keep feeling like his pain is mine as well. I wanted this to work, and now that I know it won't…i-it's killing me to see him so broken like this, Mom," she explained between her choking sobs.

"I understand that all too well, sweetie. Look, maybe where I'm about to go with this is the completely wrong direction, but I feel this really needs to be said right now. I know what I said before about this closure ultimately being for the best for Nick doesn't seem plausible to you right now, and I can't imagine the pain you're suffering along with him. But ultimately, deep down, do you still think it would've been best for you both to just ignore this and pretend like everything would be back to normal?"

Judy couldn't honestly say yes to that idea, no matter how much she wanted to. While nowhere near as serious as this, she did have her trying times before where not knowing the truth about something was in fact worse than knowing. She couldn't even bring herself to speak but to simply shake her head. Clearly her silence was a good enough answer for her mother.

"And let's be hypothetical for a second. You said that what drove you so hard to come all the way out there was because you hated the idea of Nick potentially no longer being your partner. Now tell me, do you think you would've been any less insistent about this if he wasn't your partner to begin with, but you still knew how much he was hurting from not knowing?"

"No, of course not. He's not just my partner, he's my best friend. How could I ever just leave it alone like that knowing he was suffering?" Judy answered almost instantly as if it were pure instinct.

"That's what I thought. Judy, in spite of how this all ended, the journey itself couldn't have been all bad. Trials like this have been proven to bring two individuals together, and that makes the end result that much more important. Do you think this whole thing really was a waste of time and effort? Do you really think that things between you and Nick haven't changed during this whole trip?"

Right then, Judy immediately began to reflect on all the little emotional bumps and discoveries this trip had made them both go through: Judy having to realize how protective and even jealous she got whenever Nick was involved; the mind-boggling questions and strange sense of acceptance to those unusual feelings Nick gave her that Shannon had helped her to realize; the liberating feeling of finally admitting the sheer extent of how much she cherished the life she and Nick shared that had driven her to do this in the first place. How could she possibly say that this trip hadn't given them such better understanding of themselves and each other? In the end, could that have really been enough to make all this emotional anguish they suffered now worth it?

"Mom…where exactly are you going with this?" she finally gained the courage to ask; mentally drawing a blank while struggling to get her despairing emotions back under check.

"Like I said, I'm only asking these things based on my own perspective. Maybe it's not the one you need right now, but who can really tell? All I'm saying is that the two of you were clearly already so close when I first saw you two together, and I get the feeling that now, this journey and this result has only made the connection between you and Nick that much stronger. I really feel there's something indescribable; something…special that you two have when you're together, and I think that really shows in the fact you went so far out of your way for the sake of Nick's emotional well-being, and the fact that you're so strongly affected by this as he is.

"What I'm saying right now, Judy, is that while you may think there's nothing you can do to ease his pain and your own right now, I don't necessarily think that's true. Even if you may not recognize it yourself, maybe Nick shares my sentiment and holds you very dearly, even if he may not be the kind to readily show it. What it all comes down to, Judy is that I think you being there with him right now could do more good for him than you might think. It might do untold good for the both of you. Maybe you'll come to an understanding of your own that's different, but I'm just saying what I think is best right now."

It was like magic. Somehow, everything Bonnie explained seemed to make the strangest kind of sense in Judy's head. It was all true; it all seemed to click like nothing had before. She did always feel that strange close connection with Nick ever since they'd first become partners, and even before that; that was what those strange emotions from before had to be. And the fact they grew even stronger did resonate with her. Ultimately, she did feel closer to that fox than she ever had before, and putting her mother and even Shannon's past words together; something unspoken suddenly seemed as obvious and clear as day to Judy in this one dark yet now brilliantly illuminated moment.

Bonnie was right. Nick needed her at his side now more than ever, and now, with everything like magic having now become so clear to her for the very first time, she knew now there was something that needed to be done for both their sakes. It was now or never.

"You're right, Mom…my God, you're right. Thank you so much. I-I need to go," Judy said gratefully; smiling in long-restrained embarrassment to herself before exchanging goodbyes and hesitantly hanging up the phone. There was nothing left to do now, but to finally get back inside and well and truly make things right for the both of them, and with each step she took, the more she recognized that this burning feeling deep inside her chest had been manifesting for what felt like the longest time, and it had finally picked this moment to make itself known to the both of them. There was no longer even an inkling of confusion or doubt in her heart or in her mind. For the first time ever, this overly-emotional bunny felt at ease and confident in her emotions both familiar and unknown.

But once she stood before the door with her paw over the handle, she felt her heart begin to race faster than ever; almost to the point it felt like it was going to burst. She imagined it must've been similar to how Nick felt each time he hesitated to go further today, as if the sheer weight of knowing what was about to happen and how there would be no turning back was restraining her. But with a deep, affirming breath and a glint of the fiercest determination in her violet eyes, she opened the door and stepped inside; greeted by the numbing silence of the inside away from the rain.

She struggled to see her way through the darkness; but once her sight adjusted, she immediately made out Nick's prone form lying motionlessly on his bed. The morose fox had been utterly vegetative since she'd been able to convince him they had to leave the Wilde house. She practically had to drag him out here, and he hadn't even mustered the strength to utter a word. He'd just subjected himself to lying here like a coma patient. Of course, she couldn't necessarily say she'd be any different.

As much as she felt it was best to let Nick speak when he was ready to, this burning sense of bravery and determination was all but screaming to her that if she didn't take this opportunity, she'd never get the chance again. So with a nerve-steeling breath, she carefully and slowly climbed onto the bed and laid herself beside him.

Now that he was right here before her, the words she'd felt so confident to say all but disappeared as she opened her tiny mouth. She couldn't just come right out with it. It was like Bonnie had said; Nick was in a very sensitive place right now, and what he needed most of all was her support. What burned the most within her chest could wait.

"Hey, Nick," she whispered as softly as possible as she slowly reached a paw out to his shoulder. The instant she could feel his shirt, the fox immediately inched away from her; keeping his back turned.

"Nick…h-how are you feeling?" she struggled to ask; instantly mentally chastising herself the instant she saw the unmistakable glare he was shooting towards her from over his shoulder.

"I know, I know, that was stupid of me to ask. How could you be feeling any different?" she asked mainly to herself rhetorically. This more than ever was the time to choose her words carefully, and so far she knew she was doing a lousy job at it.

"Look, I…I-I know how painful this is," she started to explain in sympathy for her ears perked up at the sound of Nick scoffing to himself in bitter amusement.

"Do you now? Do you really? Do me a favor right now, Carrots: don't lie to me," he said in a chillingly low, even cold mutter as Judy slowly bowed her head in regret.

"Okay. I know you probably want to be alone right now, but I just hope you know you don't have to go through all this alone, not anymore. If you ever want to talk, you know I'll always be here," she tried to explain; falling silent once more when the fox suddenly rolled onto his back and gave her another deathly serious glare.

"There's nothing TO talk about anymore, Carrots. Nothing. We tried, and I blew it, and that's all there is to it, okay? Now just drop it," he stated bluntly and seriously as Judy could only look at him sadly. She hadn't expected that overwhelming sadness to turn into such bitterness so quickly.

"Nick, that's not true. We had no way of knowing this would happen," she tried to assure him before he let out another frustrated groan and quickly sat himself back up.

"Yeah, well that doesn't change anything now, does it? It doesn't matter if you or I didn't know; the result's still the same. I waited too long to fix my own mistakes, and now I have to pay the price for it, get it?" he vented; his angry tone beginning to crack.

"It doesn't matter if Mom was able to forgive me, right now that doesn't mean anything. All these years, no matter how well I did for myself, I could never really stop thinking about what I did to her, and now I'll never be able to apologize to her for it myself. All because I was too much of an arrogant coward to just admit that I was wrong to go out and find her sooner! And you know what? The fact that this is what was waiting for me after I hesitated for so long is only right!"

Judy's eyes grew wide once her partner had finally reached the point she'd dreaded he would. He couldn't possibly think that he really deserved to suffer like this, right? There was no way she could just stay silent after all that, not anymore.

"Stop talking like that, Nick! You made a mistake, but we all do, not just you! You can't seriously believe that you deserve this, you just can't," she exclaimed, almost pleading as Nick couldn't bear to look at her anymore as he rose from the bed and stormed over to the window to stare at the cold, unforgiving rainfall.

"It wouldn't matter if that is what I believe or not. Life doesn't care about what you believe, it just does what it does, and this is what it's decided for me, and I'm not gonna argue with it this time. Unlike so many of the kids in my neighborhood, I had a mother who worked herself to the bone day and night to care for me. I may have only had her, but she was all the family I could've ever wanted; and I was too stupid to recognize that when I got older only to remember it now. But it's too late for that to even mean anything anymore. I threw away the only other person in this world that cared about me…for that alone, I deserve this."

Judy felt her heart nearly shatter at the sheer emotion making itself known through his words. It was less out of anger and more out of long-lingering despair. It was as if this affirmation of inability or unwillingness to forgive himself was the only solace he had left from the crushing sadness.

Nick didn't even hear her feet on the floor before he suddenly felt her little arms wrapping tight around his sides from behind; the all-too familiar sounds of her emotional sniffling muffled by his shirt as she clung onto him for dear life.

"Please don't say that, Nick. Nobody deserves to be alone, least of all you. Please, I know how much you're hurting, but you have to stop blaming yourself for this," she whimpered; refusing to let go.

"Why should I, Carrots? Huh? This has nothing to do with you, so why should you care if I blame myself for ruining my own life?" he asked impatiently once she finally managed to let go of him and look him in the eye.

"Are you kidding me right now? Have you forgotten what we talked about just this morning? Of course this affects me; everything having to do with you affects me! It's not just YOUR life anymore, we share our lives together! What affects one of us affects the other, that's just how it works the way we live. You didn't ruin your life, there's still so much more to look forward to! I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but I'm not going to just do nothing while you break yourself down like this!"

A part of Nick so badly wanted to snap at Judy, to tell her to mind her own business for once in her life. But even despite that, a greater part of him knew how badly he wanted to hear her say these things, as if she was the only one who could ever convince him to move past all this, no matter how virtually impossible that felt for him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so emotionally conflicted like this.

"I wish I could be able to take away all this pain, but I know that's impossible. I can't say how long this is going to continue to be as painful as it is, but I need you to know that you are not alone in this. I haven't been crying for you because I'm some overly emotional bunny. Nick, I cry for you because of just how much I care about you. You're one of the most irreplaceable mammals I have in my life; more than just my partner and more than just my best friend. I said it before and I'll say it again as many times as possible if I have to: I'm always here for you. Your happiness is mine, and so is your pain. That's just how it is for us now. So please, don't ever say that you're alone, or that you deserve to be alone, because that's not true. Any of it. Do you understand?"

Nick began to open his mouth to tell her off; to discredit everything she was saying; whether it was so he could keep feeling bitter yet sorry for himself, or if he felt she didn't deserve to carry such responsibility even he didn't know. All he knew was that as much as he wanted to accept what she said; he couldn't bring himself to commit.

"What difference does it make if I agree with you or not, Carrots? What difference does it make whether or not I'm able to forgive myself? Nothing's ever going to change the way things are now, whether I'm alone or have you to open up to. In the end…mom's gone. She's gone, I didn't suck it up and apologize when I had so many chances…and I have to live with that from now on. No matter how much you try to tell me to shake off that responsibility, it's not gonna happen," Nick finally said in defeat as he stepped past Judy and plopped himself onto the side of the bed with his head hanging low.

"My only family is gone, and I threw it away like the dumb fox I am. The fact I have to live with this is the only justice I can think of now," he began muttering miserably to himself; mentally isolating himself from the world around him. He barely even noticed when Judy slowly climbed onto the bed beside him; looking sadly at him with those big glimmering violet eyes he'd usually found so much nurturing comfort and reassurance in. This time, he couldn't feel any of it, not even when he felt that familiar normally pleasant sensation of that oh-so persistent bunny wrapping her little arms around his neck in a supportive hug.

All the while, Judy was in such desperate need for the right words to say. With each second she knew she was losing him, and this was literally turning into an emotional battle to save the Nick Wilde she treasured. With each passing second, she began to silently hope more and more that this hug could hopefully be enough to at least partially communicate any of what she was feeling to him.

After a minute of hearing nothing but his breathing and her own pounding heart, Judy suddenly felt one of Nick's paws placing itself over hers before leaning his head into her paws; as though in a silent show of acceptance of this simple act. To just feel it made a glimmer of hope begin to spark within her chest once again. To see him being so receptive even after being so down on himself was the best sign she could've hoped for. But there had to be something else; something that needed to be said that could get through to Nick and hopefully bring him out of this depressive slump.

That's when a semblance of that burning confidence and mind-blowing realization came back to her; the overwhelming emotional desire that had long since been dormant for nearly the past year that had only finally manifested itself on this night and managed to well and truly open her eyes and bring her here to begin with.

She was here now with him, just like she'd always wanted to be. She was the only mammal here for him in the time when he needed the presence of a true companion most. Just as she'd claimed to him and herself, he was undoubtedly the single most irreplaceable mammal she had, and in this moment, she'd finally realized that she truly was the same way for him in this moment especially; something he didn't even need words to say.

There was never going to be a better time to finally put these far-too-long repressed emotions raging inside her into words. It didn't matter what semblance of strict rationality trying to make itself known in her head was trying to say. Every natural fiber of her being seemed to resonate with the knowledge that there was nothing to be doubted or questioned in what she was feeling right now. This was the most natural and all-around right feeling she could recall experiencing in years. To repress these emotions and never admit them in this moment would be nigh unforgivable. With unbreakable confidence and drive practically burning within her; relishing in the warmth of being so close to her best friend, Judy Hopps took that one fateful life-changing breath to finally release this years' worth of emotions once and for all.

"Nick…there's something I need to tell you," she finally began to say with great hesitation. Nick showed no sign of reaction; choosing instead to keep resting his head against her paws.

"Could we please not do this right now, Carrots? I'm seriously not in the mood for more talking," he soon asked in a half mutter while Judy had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep the adrenaline burning. No turning back now.

"You don't have to talk, Nick. At least just listen. This is something you need to know; something…you DESERVE to know, and that I've needed…no, that I've WANTED to tell you for a very long time," Judy reasoned with him; hesitating as she finally admitted the truth of how this was something they both needed now more than ever.

"I know you're smart enough to know this, Nick, but every time I've ever told you how you're my best friend in the world and the best partner I could ever ask for, I've always meant it from the bottom of my heart. But…to be honest, that hasn't been the full extent of how I've been feeling around you. It's just that for the longest time, I never knew WHAT it was that I've been feeling for this past year whenever I'm with you. I was always too nervous to try and dig deeper because I didn't want to risk the friendship we have.

"I've heard so many times about mammals that ruin their friendships because they reveal very personal things, but…now, I just can't keep it to myself anymore. Nick, ever since we solved the Night Howler case, I've had such strange feelings around you, and it's only now that I think…I think I've finally realized just what it is, and while I want to tell you so badly, there's a part of me that feels like my head or my heart's gonna burst if I do."

By this point, Nick's ears had finally perked as he slowly lifted his head to look Judy in the eyes. He'd seen her get super emotional before, but never like this. He couldn't even try to identify one emotion in her violet eyes right now. She looked like she was having the mother of all mental and emotional battles right now; as if she was fighting every natural instinct to just quiet down before she'd say too much. But there was no way he was just going to let this go after what she'd already said. This was the one thing to pull him away from his sadness, and by God, he wasn't going to let it get away from him. And besides, how could he just leave good ol' Carrots in a state like this after she'd just tried so hard to pull him out of his own?

"Judy…w-what are you trying to say?" he asked softly, and the sound of him calling her by name must've shut out all the conflicting emotions in her head, because the conflict in her eyes had instantaneously given way to a strange kind of clarity as she focused her deep gaze on him alone.

"Nick…I've been struggling with so many strange new emotions for so long now…but I've come to realize so much about myself, about both of us during this trip. It made me realize the real reason I've done the things I've done with you recently. For the first time in my life…something that seemed so nonsensical and unexplainable makes so much sense to me," the little bunny continued; her tone becoming strangely dreamy as Nick placed a firm paw on her shoulder in the hopes of keeping her on track. A deeply emotional, perhaps even self-assuring smile slowly spread across Judy's lips as she looked deep into the curious emerald eyes she'd come to find so easy to become lost in for such a long time.

"Earlier today, when you asked me to tell you the truth about why I made us come all this way out here to help you…I was so scared to admit it to myself just as much as you then, but now…now there's no fear at all. There was one more reason why I wanted to do all this for you, Nick," Judy finally said; the suspense becoming nearly physically unbearable for Nick as his expecting gaze seemed to tell her everything he needed to say to get her to finally say it.

By now, Judy's heart was racing so hard, it actually DID feel like it would burst. But now, looking deep into the green eyes of her perfect partner, her best friend in the whole wide world, the greatest fox; heck, the greatest mammal she could've ever hoped to meet, Judy felt at peace, with a confidence that seemed to be even greater than the confidence in her dream career as a police officer. What was finally forming in her throat was something that she miraculously felt surer of than even the thing she'd dedicated her entire life to. A grand swelling sensation of sheer emotion built up in her chest as she finally opened her mouth and placed her little paws on Nick's shoulders.

"I love you, Nick," were the words that finally escaped Judy's lips. Four simple, everyday words that carried the sheer life-changing weight the likes of which few could comprehend. For the first few seconds, there was nothing but deafening silence as Nick looked as though he'd completely misheard every word, as though struggling to understand.

"W…w-what?" Nick asked in a nearly muted whisper of disbelief. There was no way he'd heard that right, it just wasn't possible. There was no way Judy, his Carrots, had just said that.

"I love you," she said again with not even a second of hesitation; that beaming smile of untold relief and happiness at finally speaking her deepest, most secret feelings of her life not even faltering the tiniest bit.

Now Nick knew he couldn't have been mishearing her twice. This was so out of nowhere, he couldn't wrap his head around it. This couldn't have been for real, she couldn't have been serious. The idea she was messing with him to get a laugh was the only thought that made any sense to him.

"Oh, c'mon, Carrots…t-that can't be true. I-I mean, I know you always say you know you love me when I push you to, but you can't mean…"

Before the very last word left Nick's mouth, he suddenly felt Judy's little paws gently holding both sides of his face; and before his eyes, that cute little grey fuzzy bunny with those big violet eyes and the beaming smile that had singlehandedly turned his life upside down, suddenly leaned forward and met him with an awkward yet 100% genuine heartfelt kiss that sent a flare of incredible heat surging through his entire body.

All of Judy's sensations were skyrocketing the instant her snout met his. Tears of unbridled joy were freely rolling down her fuzzy cheeks as she relished in this incredible rush of adrenaline and sheer release coursing through her body. This was an overwhelming sensation coming to her from Nick the likes of which she couldn't have begun to imagine, and she loved every last second of it. She felt lighter than air now that she'd finally confessed her deepest utmost feelings at long, long last; and basking in the scent, warmth and now even the strangely forbidden-feeling taste of the fox she had in her paws left her in a state of pure euphoria.

Nearly everyone is familiar with the idea that actions speak far louder than words; and for Nick Wilde, no other moment did that saying ring truer than it did right now. This was the last thing he'd ever expected to experience from anyone, let alone a bunny, and especially from his Carrots. His mind at first was racing at a billion miles per second, trying to grasp what was happening; but once his mind caught up with the immensely pleasant and even joyous sensations surging through his body at the soft, gentle yet fiercely passionate touch of Judy's tiny lips, he found himself practically floating on air.

All at once did it seem to occur to him that deep down he'd actually wanted this. Judy had become so much fun to constantly be around, and yes he genuinely loved teasing her and making her laugh and groan with annoyance at every opportunity, but buried deep within, he realized there'd always been something more; something that threatened to come up whenever they had their more quiet personal moments together; something this constantly emotionally-defensive fox couldn't begin to recognize until just now. Sitting here in the dark; forcefully being pulled from his abyssal sadness by the loving touch and unexpectedly sweet taste of his bunny's kiss, Nick finally realized the maelstrom of strange burning emotions raging within him had to be the very same Judy herself had just finally managed to convey. It simply had to be. In this moment, even he realized he couldn't rightfully deny it.

He loved her too, possibly for as long as she had to be feeling it too. Why else would his mind and heart simultaneously be going on the fritz as he slowly began to relish in this moment; very hesitantly bringing his paws to Judy's shoulders before she suddenly pulled her mouth away from his; her wet violet eyes staring at him with a loving warmth he'd never seen from her before that nearly made the hapless fox melt where he sat.

"I love you, Nick…I could probably say it a thousand times right now and it wouldn't be near enough. I've loved you for so long, you dumb fox," Judy said happily, though her voice was still trembling with sheer emotion. Who could blame her after having to carry these feelings and only just today figuring out what they were? But that joyous smile on her face conveyed it all for him, just how monumentally happy she was to be sharing this moment with him; and as he looked at her glistening eyes, he was willing to bet if he'd confessed first, he'd probably look the same if not a bit more ridiculous.

"Blueberries," Nick suddenly said in realization; momentarily catching Judy by surprise as he began quickly licking his lips.

"Well wouldn't you know it? You taste like blueberries, Carrots. Now that I know, what more could I possibly ask for?" he finally said with a knowing sly grin that now seemed to light Judy's senses right up as she threw her arms around his neck and nuzzled into his fur as closely as she possibly could. Leave it to Nick Wilde to pretty much confess the same feelings she'd finally worked up the courage to through an awful attempt at a joke.

"You remember, way back when at the natural history museum when I pretended to bite your throat? Remember at the hospital when I said that from what I tasted, rabbit doesn't suit me? Well, THIS is something I could really get used to," he went further on; and Judy could practically feel that self-satisfied grin spreading on his face, but for once she didn't care. He could make all the lousy jokes he wanted; that wasn't going to ruin this moment. If anything, to hear him making his terrible wisecracks once again had to be one of the best signs she could've asked for.

The only time she'd felt nearly as happy as she did right now was easily the day she was first accepted as a police officer, right up there with the day Nick graduated and became her partner; but this night had somehow managed to top both of those. There was absolutely nothing that could bring her spirits down right now, not even that nagging voice of reason in her head trying to tell her of just what would be waiting for them when they returned to Zootopia now that they knew where their relationship stood.

Every instinct flaring up within her was practically screaming for her to keep kissing Nick to her hearts content; but right now all either of them wanted was to just cherish this serene moment for just a little longer. It still seemed so incredible, perhaps even miraculous, how much this had been what they had both silently and desperately needed, and it had managed to come to them at just this moment. Who were they to scoff at the idea of fate like this? The point was that right now all they had to care about was each other, and no one and nothing was going to take that from them.

For Nick Wilde, the veil of despairing sadness he'd been suffocating in had been washed away; replaced by an all-consuming warmth and contentedness he didn't think was possible for him anymore, all thanks to this wonderful, dumb little hayseed bunny in his paws. On the night when he thought he couldn't have been more miserable, he'd suddenly found that right now he couldn't possibly have been happier.

After several minutes of basking in each other's warmth, the two star-crossed mammals slowly separated from each other; nervous to look each other in the eyes now that so many feelings had finally been shown and couldn't be taken back anymore.

"Thank you, Judy. I mean…for being there for me; for helping me wake up; for…for everything. I owe you for life now," Nick finally managed to say while Judy playfully rested her little head against his shoulder, still smiling in great satisfaction to herself.

"You don't owe me anything, silly fox. There's a lot I have to thank you for too, you know that. Gosh, I don't even want to think where either of us would be if I hadn't seen you at that ice cream shop back then," she mused nostalgically while feeling Nick's paw land on hers affectionately.

"That's easy, I'd still be profiting off bootlegged Pawpsicles and you'd probably still be serving out parking tickets," he said with a mischievous smirk while Judy just giggled to herself and interlocked her little paw pads with his.

"Okay, I guess I stumbled right into that one," she humored him while the two shared another satisfying laugh with each other. For those few precious moments, it felt just like the good old times again. But then, the inevitable realization of what came next began to dawn on them.

"Carrots…you do realize no one will be okay with this when we get back home, right?" Nick finally asked the dreaded question while Judy still kept her head up high with sheer determination.

"Well…we clearly didn't have qualms keeping secrets from each other. Keeping it secret from tons of complete strangers should be way easier," she stated confidently while Nick couldn't help but smile at her infectious optimism.

"Spoken like a true protégé," he teased while she shot him a knowing smirk before cuddling into his side again.

"Well, I learned from the best, didn't I?" she asked sarcastically before giving in to her deeper desire and pulling Nick's head down so she could plant another loving kiss on his red furry cheek.

"Seriously though, Carrots, even I don't know what people might do if they were to find out about…well, us; where we are now. It was hard enough getting predators and prey to really coexist peacefully; how do you think they're gonna react at the thought of preds and prey actually…well, TOGETHER?" he asked in all seriousness while Judy clearly looked to be deep in thought. She couldn't deny he was right. Civil unrest had been bad enough before; there was no telling what it could potentially look like if the idea of interspecies relationships were to come up. And if the ZPD were to find out…God forbid, she didn't want to risk losing her career for something so personal.

But no matter the risk, that burning confidence in her chest kept silently assuring her that there was a way for them to make it through this. She wasn't going to throw this all away after she'd finally found the courage to accept and confess it. Nick was too important to her to just let her fear for her career get in the way.

"I really don't know, Nick; but…but I don't care what the opinions of all those people or even the ZPD is at the end of the day. Right now, all that matters to me is us. You know we can keep things to ourselves like nobody else can. As long as we keep it between ourselves between the times we have alone together, who's to say we couldn't be able to keep going the way we have been?"

It was clear to Nick that this was the best hope she could give to him right now. She was really banking on them being able to keep their newfound relationship a secret from everyone else, and of course he was hoping they could be able to pull it off too. He wanted nothing more than for them to continue on from here with each other just like she did, so he realized he might as well play ball and join her on this insane yet amazing new life venture.

"Well…you know me, I can keep a secret if you can, Carrots," he finally said; the accepting smile on his face bringing another ecstatic smile to Judy's face as she clung right back onto him and placed yet another emotional kiss; her fur standing on end practically on command at the touch.

"I know it's a bit late, but can I still call you 'Carrots', or is that not okay now?" he suddenly asked while she could only giggle in amusement.

"You've been doing it for so long, it'd just feel weird if you kept calling me by name now, so yes you can," she assured him while he just brought his forepaws around her tiny frame and held her tightly as well; trying to ignore what had to be the beating of her heart hammering against his chest.

"Can I still call you 'cute' too?" he dared to ask; wincing when her little paws gripped tight onto his fur through his shirt.

"Okay, now you're pushing it," she said in mock-seriousness while he couldn't help but give an awkward little chuckle as she loosened her grip and looked up to him with those same starry violet eyes.

"I love you so much, Nick," she couldn't help but say dreamily as she quickly lifted herself up and pecked him on his chin while he playfully rubbed the top of her head.

"I love you too, Carrots," he finally worked up the courage to say as he leaned in and gave her a quick little peck on the top of her fuzzy little head while she smiled joyously to herself at the touch.

 **The next morning…**

The scent of the morning dew in the forest seemed to perfectly compliment the light morning mist that blanketed these forested mountains. Now that the rain had finally let up, the complimentary smell of moist soil and pine trees produced a fragrance most disarming and pleasant. It certainly helped to soothe Nick's nerves as he slowly proceeded up the familiar forest trail with Judy ever loyally at his side; both of them joined at the paw.

The mist had thankfully prevented the early morning sun's rays from blinding them through the gaps in the trees once they reached that once dreadful but now somber clearing at the top of the mound. With a trembling sigh of resignation, nick let go of Judy's paw and slowly approached that single marble gravestone with his mother's name engraved upon it. Just like before, the flowers adorning it looked like they'd only just been picked barely an hour ago. It didn't warrant any further curiosity as he silently placed a bundle of his own upon it.

Daisies. For as long as he could remember, they'd always been his mother's favorites. He could always remember how diligently she would water the pot of daisies she had resting on the sill of their kitchen window every single morning. Such nostalgic memories only made him all the more glad right now that he'd thought to at least do this much for her.

For a few moments, there was only silence momentarily punctuated by the waning chirping of crickets as he remained standing before the headstone; head bowed down and with his paws in his pockets as he struggled for the right words.

"Hey, Mom. Long, long time no see, right? I-I hope you didn't keep yourself up these last seventeen years waiting for me. Ah, who am I kidding; of course you did. That's why I could never stay out late and hope you wouldn't hear me come back. That's what got us here in the first place, wasn't it?"

Nick could only follow through on his sad attempt at reminiscence with an embarrassed yet remorseful chuckle to himself while Judy respectfully stood back; watching him with a deep sense of pride as he continued to try and make some semblance of his peace.

"I'm so sorry, Mom…for saying all those terrible things to you, for making you worry so much…a-and for taking so long to finally come back. It took so much longer to just suck it up than I thought. I was so mad at you and everything else for such a long time…and every time I wanted to come back, all I could think about was how that would show you how right you were and how wrong I was. I was so stupid and proud, and for what? For spending nearly sixteen years hustling other people just to help make myself well-off like I thought I deserved to be? Spending all that time with virtually no one to look out for me but myself?

"I wish I could tell you how much I wanted to make up for the way I ended things…how much I just wanted to admit to you and myself how wrong I was…but here we are now. Guess my sense of timing's a lot worse than I thought. But…I want to believe that maybe you are watching over me, wherever you might be, and that you can hear me. I know you said in your last message how you had nothing to forgive me for, but I think now…nowadays the reason it still hurts so much is because…I don't know if I'll ever be able to really forgive myself for what I did to you.

"At first, I was ready to just give up on everything, like that void was somehow what I deserved, but…well, wouldn't you know it, you said you felt confident I'd find someone special to help me along in your place, and I only realized the day I found you that I already had that special someone all along. And…yeah, she's VERY special indeed. I wish you could still be around so you could at least have gotten to meet good ol' Carrots, Mom. I bet you would've loved her right from the start. Certainly would've figured it out a lot faster than I did.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully forgive myself, Mom…but maybe knowing you might be up there, and with Carrots being here with me…it…it just might be a good start in that direction," nick finally finished; his eyes beginning to water and his voice starting to crack before he suddenly felt Judy's little arms wrap around his right forepaw; the magic touch.

For a few more seconds, they both stayed rooted where they were; looking down at the ornately decorated gravestone with a sense of regret, yet also acceptance.

"Hello, Ms. Wilde. I-I'm Judy Hopps. I'm Nick's…well, I'm his partner, I guess in more ways than one now. I don't know if I have the right to say anything here, but I just want you to know how much I've been wanting to meet you, and perhaps even talk to you. Much like Nick said, I hope that maybe you can hear me too, wherever you may be.

"There's so much I want to say, but I wouldn't even know where to start. I've been so eager to meet the one who raised my favorite fox in the whole world, and more than that, I wanted to tell you just how much we've helped each other since we first met. I couldn't begin to imagine how worried you've been for him, but I want you to know now that he's made such a good life for himself. He's helping other people; helping me to make the world a better place for everyone else. That was always my dream, but through all this time, he helped me to realize that making the world a better place together is…is a real dream come true.

"Yes, he may be crafty, sly and have a lousy sense of humor, but I wouldn't want to trade your son for anyone else in the world, Ms. Wilde. We've changed each other's' lives in so many ways…and I will never be able to fully thank him for everything he's done for me," Judy explained; her voice overflowing with emotion as her eyes began to water as well; her grip on Nick tightening as he pulled her in close as well; barely whispering "Me neither" into her ear as she tried to wipe away the tears.

"He may have done wrong things before, but in the end, your son is the best mammal I've ever known, and I just want you to know you don't have to worry about him…anymore," she finally finished; her voice a strange yet heartwrenching combination of both sadness and genuine happiness as she let out a deep, heavy breath of contentment; feeling she'd said everything she had any right to say here.

With all being said and done, Nick returned his gaze to the grave one last time.

"I love you, Mom. I give you my word, we'll come back to visit any chance we can get. That's a promise," he said in a solemn vow to both Vivian and himself as the two rejoined paws and began to make their way back to the Wilde home.

Upon their return, as much as they'd wished to stay, the two couldn't deny that after everything they'd struggled through on this incredible journey, the time had finally come to put their painful memories and past demons to rest at long last; to finally leave the past and head off into the unknown future. But what once had seemed overwhelming and threatening had now become…somewhat exciting and hope-inspiring; undoubtedly thanks to knowing they no longer had to fear anything as long as they could be together.

After sharing one last goodbye with Robin; thanking him for all his hospitality and kindness, the two climbed back into the newly repaired Hopps family truck; the beginning of their new journey marked by the new rumbling of a reinvigorated engine.

"Let's go home," they both said in unison as Nick put a grateful paw over Judy's upon the stick shift; both of them exchanging knowing yet deeply emotional loving gazes with each other before they finally began their long journey back.

As they rolled down the hill and soon out of sight, Robin stood in the doorway; watching them with emotional yet hopeful tired eyes behind his glasses; smiling in satisfaction to himself all the way until he could no longer hear their engine and was instead met with the tranquil silence of the forest. He soon took a deep breath and let out a satisfactory sigh as he looked up to the morning sky.

"Vivian…I think our boy is going to be just fine now," he said wistfully to himself before slowly retreating back into the house to begin yet another new day.

 **And there you have it folks, Chapter 8. I know last time I said this would be the last chapter, but I have plans for a very special epilogue to this story to wrap things up just a tiny bit more nicely. I hope this will help soothe the painful feels I subjected you all to last time.**


	9. Epilogue: Accepting the Changes

**Thank you all again everyone for all your continued support all the way through this incredible journey, and we only have much broader roads to go down from here. So without further ado, here's the epilogue to wrap up the second installment of my Zootopia series, and here's hoping it leaves all of us satisfied, and not just myself.**

 **Zootopia and its characters are property of Disney, not me. God, do I really have to put that notice in every single chapter?**

"So this is everything you have to report?" Chief Bogo finally asked after a prolonged silence, no doubt to collect his thoughts.

It had been three days since Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde had finally returned to Zootopia after their prolonged, as he preferred to call it: therapeutic partnership evaluation assignment. Of course he'd have to make it sound so deadly serious and official in order to officially cover up their over week-long absence from the ZPD, but who was honestly going to complain?

Thankfully the chief had been kind enough to give the fox and bunny duo a couple days to get their feet wet in field work once more, seemingly to help them get re-acclimated into the work, but anyone who knew him remotely well knew he mainly backed off so he could get a better idea how Nick especially was doing. And thankfully the fact that he'd called Judy into his office at the end of this day without their conversation immediately going into talks of psychiatric evaluations and suspensions was as good a sign as Judy could've hoped for.

She'd spent nearly an hour relaying to her boss the details of what the two of them had gone through and discussed with each other during their trip; and while Bogo remained as stoic as ever, the little bunny could somehow tell some of what she shared was managing to pierce the water buffalo's tough exterior; especially when it came to the end of their journey and discussing what Nick had gone through upon discovering what happened to his mother.

No matter how tough and serious as he liked to make himself off to be, there was no denying that the ZPD chief could be a big softie at heart.

"That's right, sir. I wasn't sure what to leave out, but I figured you'd mainly want to know how Officer Wilde is doing. I also figured that was why you let us work without interruption these last few days," Judy explained as straightforwardly as possible as the chief leaned back into his chair; rubbing his tired eyes after yet another long day's work.

"Yes; very observant Hopps. I felt it would help after his less-than-acceptable performance last time to just observe how your partner would do for a little bit before finally getting the details; for the sake of compare and contrast. Thankfully it sounds like you two have made some real progress," the chief explained; a hint of satisfaction carried in his words while Judy looked up at him with a glimmer of hope.

"Does this mean you're not going to suspend him, sir?" she dared to ask; mentally crossing her paw pads she'd get the good answer.

"Well, he's certainly shown much more improvement in comparison; and he seems a lot less laid back and much more professional on the streets and in the office; at least as far as can be concerned when it's more than just you two around. So no, I'm not going to suspend him or put him up for psychiatric evaluation. I'm sure you must be thrilled," Chief Bogo said with an affirming nod, but with an equally phoned in sense of enthusiasm, as if he were humoring a small child while Judy looked to be restraining herself from hopping up and down in excitement where she sat.

"I hope you do realize that just because I'm letting him off the hook doesn't mean he's any less your responsibility from here on, Hopps. That simply comes with being partners, you realize," he felt the need to remind the excited bunny as she quickly took a deep breath and gave him an understanding nod. No matter how happy she was, she knew she still needed to be calm and professional with the massive buffalo.

"Understood completely, sir. I'm just grateful you gave us the chance," she said gratefully while the chief simply looked to brush the gratitude aside.

"Well, who am I to not even give one of my most effective officers a chance to help her partner ultimately improve out on the field? But don't think I'm just going to let the fact you both missed 8 days of work slide. I'm going to make sure you both make up for that lost time and then some," Bogo said sternly while Judy felt her excitement die down by the ton once her boss was finished. Of course, he was a professional cop first and a friend second, no matter how much Judy had grown on him, so of course he was going to enforce his rules to the letter with no exceptions.

But in the end, that didn't matter. What mattered was that as far as she was concerned, hers and Nick's careers were in the clear; they'd continue being partners, and for that, she couldn't have been happier.

"Understood, sir. I promise we'll be back here first thing in the morning, and I'll make sure you don't hear a complaint from either of us," she promised with an enthusiastic salute before the chief motioned it was okay for her to leave for the night, where Nick would no doubt once again be in the lobby shooting the breeze with Clawhauser while waiting for her to come hopping along.

"By the way, Hopps. Regarding the fact you ended up telling Wilde about our last discussion and how that drove you to take up this little escapade of yours, I must ask…even now, do you still think that was the only thing that drove you to do what you did? Just the worry that he wouldn't be your partner anymore if you did nothing?" Bogo suddenly asked once Judy was halfway out the door; freezing the bunny in mid-step as she slowly turned back to look at her boss at his desk with his hooves folded across each other; an expectant look on his grizzled face.

"Honestly…no, sir. At first, I thought that's what it was, but…now, I realize I probably would've done this even if Nick wasn't my partner. He's far more than that to me; he's my best friend. And a good cop is supposed to serve and protect the people, including our friends…and sometimes, serving and protecting entails going above and beyond the lines of duty to help them in every way, shape and form."

Anyone else would've no doubt considered her answer to be purely textbook or bunny scout-ish at best, but Chief Bogo could tell where a lot of what she was saying really came from. Just as he'd once told the proud yet honorable bunny officer standing before him, getting where he now was required one to be able to read even the most unreadable mammals, and that was what helped him come to understand her as well as he did.

His stone-faced expression slowly softened into a clearly satisfied semi-smile as he gave her a single nod of acceptance before silently motioning for her to go once more.

Of course, the non-cop part of the little bunny wanted to cry out from the top of the ZPD of just what truly inspired her to go so far for the fox she now held the most dear to her heart, but like she did every day, she had to continuously remind herself of the pact she and Nick had made the night she'd finally confessed. No one but no one was to know of the now romantic relationship they shared, no matter what. The public couldn't know about it, and the ZPD especially couldn't know about it. As much as she absolutely wanted to cry it out for the entire world and the heavens above to hear, she didn't want to make life difficult if not impossible for the both of them, so she had to exercise her self-proclaimed ability to keep a secret.

At the very least, she wanted her family back home to know. Even if Stu would no doubt collapse like a pile of bricks, she felt they of all other mammals at least deserved to know, no matter what their personal feelings would be.

The ecstatic bunny couldn't think of it too much longer once she entered the lobby as she instantly spotted Nick waiting patiently and loyally for her at Clawhauser's desk; a relieved grin on his muzzle the instant he saw her stepping up to him with a practical spring in her step.

"So I take it Chief Buffalo Butt didn't chew you out too bad this time?" he asked his partner sarcastically as they stepped out into the cool nighttime air. For once neither of them cared if they'd end up missing the last train to their part of the city. A pleasant walk looking at the stars that seemed to still shine brilliantly through the city lights sounded absolutely perfect.

"If by 'chewed out' you mean he was satisfied with how you've been doing and okayed us continuing to be partners, then yes, yes he did," she explained with that same proud beaming grin that made her look so much more adorable than usual these days as Nick had come to realize.

As much as Nick would've wanted to keep the banter going like he always did, the overwhelming sense of relief he was currently feeling just didn't make his typical wisecracks feel fitting for the moment. Right now, he felt the need to simply bask in his good luck with his beloved Carrots by his side.

It had taken a good while for him to really get back to normal from the emotionally broken mess he was when they'd first arrived in Reynard's Grove. Even despite admitting to himself how much more at peace with his mother he now felt during the trip back home, he still wasn't nearly as talkative as usual. Who could really blame him? Even if not for the fact that he still didn't get to apologize to his mother's face, the only pain that was truly left was the natural sadness of knowing the vixen that had brought him into the world was gone forever. Of course, any mammal would naturally feel utterly terrible if that were to happen, so at least he knew he was back in a normal place and was simply grieving like everyone else would. And thank God for Carrots stubbornly sticking to him like glue ever since that night.

These days, his emotions were evenly divided between his sadness and the barely restrained elation he now felt with Judy. This whole trip had been such a minefield of raw emotions for the both of them to come to terms with, and now that the air had at long last been cleared between them, not only could he tell Judy was in such brighter spirits than usual, but even he found himself welcoming each new day with a strange new sense of enthusiasm that he realized only she had been able to bring.

As much as they struggled yet managed to keep the full extent of their relationship a secret from any prying eyes and their coworkers, once the doors to the apartment were closed, it was practically like the two of them were both high school lovers and newlyweds all at once. They of course were both smart enough never to go to an extent that could potentially put their secret at risk further down the road, it still felt way too soon for both of them to even consider going that far. But everything else was completely up in the air for them. It certainly made their otherwise uneventful evenings at home considerably more fun.

He always loved to tease Judy for how easily she was able to succumb to her emotions, but he'd never before considered that she could be just as quick to show the passion she felt for him when they were alone. And every single time, to his quiet elation, that wonderful taste of blueberries never faded.

Some nights, while they were simply lying in bed together, chatting the night away, he found himself mentally backtracking to confirm if this all had been real, just as when he'd first become a cop; just as when he and Judy had first started living together. That one stubborn part of his mind was still clinging to the way he'd lived for so long that it was struggling to accept that he'd somehow managed to find the path out of the gutter and into the daylight where even as a child he'd felt he belonged.

But just as what was to be expected whenever his mind wandered these last few days, his thoughts would always drift back to his mother. She'd been the only family he'd ever had, and now he had to accept that he was all that was left of the name Wilde. Of course, superficial things like ensuring the survival of a family line meant less than nothing to him; who honestly still thought like that these days besides aged politicians and stuffy rich fat cats? But he couldn't deny that the knowledge still tended to make him feel a deeper lingering sense of personal loneliness. As wonderful as Judy was, he couldn't rightly call himself part of her family, nor her part of his. It just didn't seem right to make that assumption or force that title onto her.

But ultimately, it didn't really matter to him. It didn't matter if he was the only one of his family left or not. Right now, basking in the pleasant evening air; traversing the city streets and gazing up at the star-filled sky with Judy's little paw in his own; all this was all he needed to finally, FINALLY feel a sense of contentment with his life. As long as he had his Carrots, he couldn't possibly have asked for more.

"Hey, Nick, are you in there?" Judy's voice suddenly rang clear to him as he quickly brought himself back to reality to find they were already standing at the entrance to their apartment building and his partner was looking up at him expectedly.

"Yeah, sorry, I was miles away. What were you saying?" he asked with an embarrassed grin while Judy just giggled to herself.

"Oh, nothing. It's just taking me a while to get used to actually having an hour of silence when it's just the two of us. You seem to get lost in your head a lot recently," she mused as the two made their way inside for the stairwell.

"Yeah. I just have been thinking back on a lot of things recently. This whole trip; everything before that; us. It's just…sometimes I still can't believe ALL this has managed to happen in the space of a single year. It's like the instant I met you, my entire world got flipped around," Nick explained; unable to help sounding a bit nostalgic while doing so.

"You're not having second thoughts or regrets, are you?" she asked sarcastically as they reached their floor.

""Ha, you wish, Fluff. Granted, I'm still embarrassed I let you blackmail me in the first place, but I wouldn't exactly call that a regret. Got us here, didn't it?" he asked rhetorically while Judy simply smiled to herself. Even now she found herself wishing something could come along where she could catch him off guard with her old carrot pen. She still regretted not having it with her the first time Nick had finally verbally confessed his mutual love for her that unforgettable night.

"Nah, mainly I'm just thinking back on everything, and I realize that even despite all the challenges and all the…well all the painful moments, things always seem to turn out for the better in the end. So much has changed in what's really so little time, and each day I find myself accepting it more and more. And in the end, I keep finding myself having you to thank for it, Carrots," the by-now bashful fox finally admitted while Judy felt her whole face warming up once more as she fished for the apartment keys. She already couldn't wait for them to finally have some alone time again just so they could be in each other's arms again.

"And don't you forget it, sweet fox," she said teasingly as she unlocked the door and began to open it, only for the lights inside to suddenly flash on and all the calming silence to be broken by a cacophony of familiar voices calling out "SURPRISE!"

Both fox and bunny alike nearly felt like they were going to have heart attacks before they suddenly realized they were being greeted by the always welcomed sight of Stu, Bonnie, and nearly all of Judy's brothers and sisters scattered across their spacious apartment; having jumped out from behind the furniture to surprise them.

"Mom? Dad? What are you all doing here? H-how did you even get in here?" Judy asked in shell-shocked bewilderment as she and Nick instinctively stepped inside; still blown away by what had been waiting for them. There was a huge assortment of food adorned all across the dining room table and kitchen counters, and there had even been a big banner hanging from the ceiling that simply read: WELCOME.

"Well, after your last call letting us know you got home safely, your mother and I talked about it for a while, and we thought it would be a good idea to welcome you both home," Stu explained casually while Judy and Nick just looked at each other doubtfully. There was no way that was all there was to it. Her parents were much more practical than that, especially during summer, easily the farm's busiest time of the year; never mind the fact Judy's 26th birthday wasn't for another two months, and Nick's 31st birthday was near the tail end of December.

"Well, Stu, as nice as it is to see you all again, I think you might need some practice on keeping secrets. What really brings you all this way?" Nick asked as politely as he could with his choice of words while Bonnie quickly chose to step forward.

"Well, I hope this won't upset you, but Judy has been keeping us up to date with what's been going on during your whole trip and everything. I understand it's very personal what you've been going through, but we all care about you, and so we just thought it would be a good idea to give you some support," the Hopps family matriarch explained while Nick looked to be much more satisfied with her answer, all while Judy still didn't look entirely convinced. Moral support was a wonderful thought for them to give, but that still didn't explain all the food and the banner and the fact that nearly all her siblings were here, and currently already crowding around her and Nick.

"But who's going to be watching the farm while you guys are all away? You know how fast the crops can go downhill even for a day when they're not being looked after," she questioned further while Stu and Bonnie shared mutually worried glances; not for their crops but for the fact that their already paper-thin story was already all but nonexistent.

"Well, you're not wrong there, Judy. Thankfully Gideon and some of the neighbors volunteered to watch the farm for us while we're gone tonight, since their own crops have already been tended to. You see, while I normally wouldn't want to risk anything…well, like I said, we had a lot to talk about considering everything you told us, and we ended up deciding something that we felt was only right to be done in person. And of course, the kids have wanted to see you and Nick like crazy since you left," Stu explained while Nick was already lifting two arms full of the tiny fuzzballs as they all laughed in amusement while the smaller ones were fussing about with his tail.

"You know, normally I think I'd be upset she was spilling the beans behind my back, but with these little tykes around, I think I might actually be glad she did," Nick admitted with amusement; while still sharing an understandably concerned glance with her, no doubt communicating how much he hoped she hadn't told them EVERYTHING.

"Well of course, she knows how much we all care for you, Nick dear; and that brings us back to why we really wanted to come here and see you both," Bonnie said in agreement before offering to take the kids out of Nick's arms before motioning for the kids to give them a little space, which they did with great reluctance. For once, the apartment had actually become quiet again.

"Now, I understand this may seem like us assuming a lot, but in the short time we've actually gotten to know you on top of everything Judy has told us about you before and after your visit, I personally feel about as close to you as any one of our own children," Bonnie began while Stu nodded readily in agreement.

"That's right. I typically like to consider myself a good judge of character, and sometimes I like to think that's where Judy got it from; but it typically takes me some time to really get a feel for someone. Well, I must say that even regardless what species you are, Nick; I don't think I've personally ever warmed up to someone as quickly as I have you. Heck, I may be jumping the gun something awful here, but sometimes I almost find myself already thinking of you like a son; especially considering how well you and Judy get along."

By this point, Nick was fighting every urge to stare directly at the equally flustered-looking Judy; as if wanting to straight up ask her if she actually DID tell them. This was starting to sound way too similar to a father giving his blessing for marriage for the speechless fox's liking.

"What we're trying to say, you two, is that with everything being considered; and especially considering what you've had to go through recently, Nick; we felt it was only right to let you know that, even with Judy being here to care for you, you don't have to go through everything alone from here on out," Bonnie finally got to the point; while Nick and Judy still looked utterly confused where on earth this was going.

"Nick, I understand if this may seem a bit too much right now, but I just feel you deserve to know that as far as me, Stu and the rest of the kids are concerned, we honestly consider you part of our family," Bonnie finally out and said it; and for several lingering moments, both of them were at a loss for words.

"Y-you really mean that, Mom? You too, Dad?" Judy finally broke the silence; her words a barely restrained whisper from the sheer disbelief at what she was hearing.

"Of course we do, Judy. After everything Nick's done for you, and everything you've so readily done for him, it shows us just how much he really means to you. And of course we'd be lying if we said you haven't made one heck of an impression with us, Nick; especially the kids. With everything you've been going through, it seems the best time to let you know that we both consider you as much a son to us as Judy is our daughter."

Nick still remained dead silent as he could only look on at these two exceedingly humble yet hospitable country bunnies like they'd come straight from another world.

They'd only met him once in the long run, and most of what they had come to know about him came from word of mouth courtesy of his partner. Why were they so readily accepting him into the family? Yeah, he'd done everything he thought was possible for him to make a good impression, he wanted them to like him; but after having been brought down to reality so hard over these last eight days, he couldn't bring himself to just accept this offer without any doubts.

But at the same time, who was he to say no to what they were giving him? He'd been struggling with the idea of having no family these last few days, and now this had just come along at yet another point in time where it almost seemed cosmic in its timing.

If these folks were truly anything like Judy, they wouldn't be sharing these emotional sentiments with him if they didn't completely mean it. And with that being in mind, it almost seemed too good to be true. They couldn't have just chosen to let him into their tight-knit family because the kids loved him, or because of how much Judy was willing to do for him and visa-versa. Did they really feel so much sympathy for his own personal baggage that they completely took it upon themselves to extend to him their emotional support without a second thought?

That familiar old cynical voice in his head kept whispering for him not to believe it, but the ever-burning sense of optimism that had kept finding its way back to him time and time again was telling him that this was the world's way of finally giving him a break from all the sadness and the brooding.

Before he could dwell any further, he felt that all-too familiar but pleasant sensation of Judy's paw resting over his own, but this time when he began to turn to see her silent expression of affirmation, he suddenly felt another pair of fuzzy paws gently come around his neck, immediately followed by another pair doing the same, and before he even knew it, practically the whole Hopps family was nearly all over him; all trying to hug him in some collective show of acceptance and even familial affection.

It wasn't the almost overwhelming weight and sense of being unable to move that got him choked up after it all finally registered. It was the realization of the sincerity in all these bunnies' actions that their acceptance, their mutual attachment to him was all-too real; that they would go so far out of their way to extend their care to what was once the natural enemy of their species, with no consideration to any personal benefit of their own.

Years ago, he never would've been able to accept this. He wouldn't have been able to buy that any mammal in the world wasn't simply looking out for themselves. But now, having to reflect on everything that had so drastically changed; looking at the bunny that had so greatly changed his life and bravely proclaimed her heartfelt love for him; and now gazing upon this entire bunny family that had so happily welcomed him with open arms, it all had become so clear.

He couldn't possibly say no to them, not one of them. How could he possibly deny possibly the only family in the world that would ever accept him?

Without a word, but instead a sharp intake of breath, Nick struggled to bring his arms around as many of them as he could from where he was pinned, and it all at once seemed to tell them exactly what he hoped it would.

All at once the kids exploded into cheerful laughter as they all parted from him; all smiling brightly at this turn out.

The rest of the night was spent with joyous celebrating and Nick and Judy both playing with all the kids like they never had before. A whole new feeling of unity had overwhelmed them both.

With every passing second, one epiphany, one realization echoed crystal clear in Nick's mind as he felt possibly the happiest he could've ever been here with Judy and his unexpected new family all around him.

 _You don't ever have to be alone again._

 **And there it is, everyone; the last chapter of my second Zootopia installment. I really struggled to decide whether or not I should've had this ending celebration with the Hopps family in this story or find a place for it somewhere else, but the further I went, the more I realized just how much Nick would need a change like this in his life after I put him and Judy through the emotional wringer like I did.**

 **Anyway, I hope this ending will satisfy you, and hopefully tide you over until I manage to put together the first chapter for the next installment to come, and this time around we'll have some actual adventure to sink our teeth into.**

 **I love you all, and thank you all so much for all your continuous support.**


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